Code Geass: Steps Untaken
by manga-otaku-94
Summary: In CG, Suzaku's path took him further and further away from Lelouch, but what if it wasn't so? What if, in the Shinjuku Ghetto, Suzaku steped away from the army and the Lancelot and walked towards Lelouch, and towards Zero? FULL SUMMARY INSIDE! ON HIATUS
1. Step 1: Reunited

A/N: Hey everyone *waves*, this is manga-otaku_94 here and this is my first published fanfic and let just say that me being anxious is an understatement. Since this is my first go at writing something other than essays for school, I'm kindly asking everyone to help me along by giving me encouragement and advice! Criticism is welcome but no flames please, I respect anyone who wishes to correct any mistakes I might make, but no amount of ranting about my writing is going do anything. This is MY fanfic and I quote "Don't like, don't read".

Disclaimer: The piece of genius called Code Geass and all its components belong to Ichirou Oukouchi-sensei

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~SUMMARY, PLEASE READ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Code Geass was a story of the tragic fate of two best friends who decided to pursue the same goal using different methods, a tale of fickle Fortuna mocking the efforts of two kind-hearted souls who wanted nothing more than no loss, no war, and simple happiness. But what if it wasn't so? This story talks of the steps not taken, if Suzaku never took those fateful steps in the Shinjuku Ghetto, towards the army and towards the Lancelot. What if Suzaku had stayed at Lelouch's side, at Zero's side? This is the tale of best friends who work together, overcoming challenges and stereotypes to reach the fateful day that Nunnally can open her eyes to see a peace, equal, and gentle world.

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Step One: Reunited

August 10th, 2010 a.t.b.

Japan

The blazing sun shone over the field of trash and debris, piles of burning metal and wood releasing the grey smoke that seemed to reflect the moods of those fortunate, or unfortunate, enough to survive the first onslaught of the Holy Britannian Empire. Next to a small camp made by the survivors, around a pile of rocks, three tiny figures are seen, small children, only at the age of ten, whose eyes resemble those who have seen far too much, tainted by the dirtiness of war and the sadness of death. Only one pair, miraculously held closed by the force of a past tragedy, was spared the horrible truths of war. The owner of that innocence was a girl, merely seven, who sat on a wheelchair. One of the two boys, looked at the other with his amethyst eyes blazing with hatred for the injustice he had been dealt. His voice rang loud and clear in the silence that seemed to overtake the area. "I swear…I swear, Suzaku, that I will obliterate Britannia!"

The other boy's eyes opened wide, revealing it's emerald depths, shocked at what his best friend had promise. All he could do was nod faintly, unaware of the path that had been carved through that solemn promise by fate for him and his best friend to follow.

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2017 a.t.b.

Shinjuku Ghetto, Area 11

A radio crackled " The terrorists are hiding inside the subway systems. Your job is to find the weapon stolen by the terrorists. Investigate the old subway system in the Shinjuku Ghetto where the Elevens live and call in as soon as you spot it. The royal guard will handle the recovery. You guys might be Honorary Britannians, but you were all originally Elevens, so the monkey stench should be familiar to you. If you want to earn the right to carry weapons, get some results. This your chance to show your loyalty to Britannia!"

"Yes, my Lord!" a string of slightly accented voices exclaimed.

* * *

A slight tremor shook the truck where Lelouch was trapped. '_Was there an accident?' _Lelouch wondered. The sound of tires futilely trying to get traction resounded inside the cargo container. _'Perhaps the terrorist have reached their destination? No, that's not likely, seeing as the driver is clearly trying to move the truck. We're probably not caught by the army either, or I would have heard gunshots by now, Britannia doesn't believe in mercy. Hmm, in any case, I'm still stuck here, I might as well see what there is around me, hopefully, I'll be able to get out of here.' _Just as Lelouch decided to explore, a button was pushed by the wounded driver of the truck, opening the cargo container. _'Heh, looks like Lady Luck's on my side' _Lelouch thought, slightly hidden behind the now opened doors. _'Anyways, lets see what the army was so desperate to get back.'_

* * *

Just around the corner, a soldier observed the situation, having already pressed the button to alert the royal guards. The gas container was right in front of him but he had orders to wait. Suddenly, a small figure appeared in the screen, crouched next to the poison gas, seemingly ready to unleash it any second. _'Damn, there's no time to wait for the royal guards, the lives of the civilians are more important than orders!' _the soldier thought, and with renewed determination, ran at top speed towards the terrorist.

* * *

Lelouch barely saw the lightning fast spin kick that headed his way. _'What the…' _was the only thing his brain processed before his lifted his hand up instinctively, protecting his head from possible trauma. '_Ugg! That HURT! What the hell is this guy made of? Metal!' _Lelouch cursed as he was sent flying toward the wall. "A Britannian?" Lelouch exclaimed.

" Stop with this senseless killing" the soldier commanded, his mask dropped, allowing speech. "I can't believe you guys would use poison gas! Don't play dumb!

"Wait! I'm…" Lelouch tried to explain, still trying to regain his breath. The soldier ignored him, droning on about Lelouch's supposed crime. Seeing that words won't get through to the soldier, Lelouch focused all his energy into trying to kick away the ruckus, successfully getting the soldier to back off. "I'm telling you! If there was any poison gas in there, Britannia made it right?" Lelouch exclaimed.

"Wait, you…" the soldier stuttered, having taken a closer look at Lelouch. His body tensed and his sense of rage dwindled. He started relaxing from his battle pose.

"If you don't want anymore meaningless death, obliterate Britannia!" Lelouch declared, not noticing the sudden change in the soldier's pose.

The soldier stood calmly, suddenly lifting his hand up to remove his helmet and reveal a very familiar mop of brown hair and gentle emerald eyes. "Lelouch, is that you? It's me, Suzaku." He said.

Lelouch's eyes opened wide, shocked to see his old friend in this situation. Memories of his first and best friend ran his head and he was rapidly trying to match this soldier to the kind and proud friend of his childhood. "You became a Britannian soldier?" he replied, clearly stunned.

Suzaku had the decency to look a bit embarrassed as he deflected "And you Lelouch? Don't tell me you're…" His voice trailed off, his eyes darting between Lelouch and the container of poison gas.

"What are you talking about?" Lelouch said, feeling slightly insulted by his friend's accusations. His denial was cut off however, by the sudden sounds made by the container. Pins clicked open, releasing streams of grey gas into the air as bright lights shone.

Suzaku acted instantly, prioritizing Lelouch's safety above his own, and tackled him, one hand pushing his gas mask on Lelouch's mouth and the other trying to cover his own. The sides of the container then slowly opened, revealing a golden light and the figure of a green-haired girl, bound by a white Britannian jumpsuit. "It's not poison gas?" Suzaku blurted out, slightly stunned by the round of events that just occurred.

Lelouch was the first to recover, already used to Britannia's lies. He ran as quickly as he could, a slow jog by Suzaku's standards, toward the platform that held the unconscious form. Holding her in his arms, he indignantly asked Suzaku "Answer me Suzaku. This girl? Poison gas?"

Suzaku, now slightly recovered from the shock quickly strode over to help Lelouch free the girl, removing the cloth fitted around her mouth. "But that's what they told us in the debriefing." He replied, accepting the fact that the army hadn't thought the lowly Elevens deserved to know what was actually in the container.

"Damn monkey." A voice rang out in the tunnel. A britannian man emerged from the shadows, definitely a leader of the army by the way the other soldiers stayed a step further away, as if to emphasize their position. "Even an Honorary Britannian doesn't have the authority to do what you did!" he declared, scorn evident in his tone.

"B-but I was told that it was poison gas!" Suzaku weakly protested, already knowing that no excuse, no matter how good would do him any good. All he could was stand in front of Lelouch and the girl, vainly hoping that they would be protected, at least for a little bit.

"You have no right to protest!" The leader shouted.

Lelouch watched this, seemingly impassive while his brain whirled into action _'we're in serious trouble. This is definitely poison, a deadly poison that will endanger Suzaku's superiors if it get out. We're not going to be able to talk our way out of this.'_

The leader, ignorant to Lelouch's deduction, continued on his speech. " However, as a reward for your achievements, I'll be merciful. Private Kururugi, use this gun to execute the terrorist and I'll let you live." He declared.

Suzaku's eyes opened wide, disbelief written on his face, and he stammered, trying to protect one of the few people he honestly cares about. "He…He's not a terrorist, sir! He's just a civilian who got caught up in this!" he proclaimed.

The leader's eyes narrowed dangerously, glaring at Suzaku, as he continued, irritation clear on his face. "You little…That's an order! Didn't you swear your loyalty to Britannia?" he demanded.

"B-but…" Suzaku's voice faded away as he wondered what to do. _'What can I do? Lelouch and the girl are so innocent in this and yet…. An order has to be obeyed! I decided on this path when I joined the army, to forsake my pride and happiness in order to atone for the mistakes I've made. All I seem to bring is misfortune, to Lelouch and to Japan.'_ Suzaku closed his eyes as he pondered the decision in front of him and when his eyes opened, his movements seemed mechanical and determined. Walking toward the leader, who's eyes shone in amusement, he grabbed the gun that was offered to him and walked back to Lelouch.

Lelouch's eyes widened in disbelief. He couldn't wrap his head around the idea that Suzaku would take his life in order to safe his own, yet logically speaking, he knew this was the best option. If Suzaku refused, all of them would die. At least this way, Suzaku would be able to live and if he could find a way to tell Suzaku where Nunnally was hidden, Suzaku would be able to protect Nunnally too. His eyes shifted from shock to grim determination. _'Do it, Suzaku' _He urged in his mind _'I entrust Nunnally to you. Please take care of her like you did all those years ago." _

The steps taken towards Lelouch seemed the longest moments in his life to Suzaku. Three steps left…two…one…zero. The last steps were the loudest, echoing in the tunnel as he slowed his gate to a stop. Looking into Lelouch's eyes, Suzaku could see that Lelouch seemed to bare no hatred towards him _'even though he should' _the snide voice in his head commented. Suzaku swallowed, readying himself for what was going happen and said in a soft tone. "I'm truly sorry for dragging you into this mess Lelouch"

Hearing those words, Lelouch grimaced slightly, but didn't move away.

"BANG!"

Lelouch couldn't help but close his eyes when he heard that noise and shift a little.

"BANG, BANG, BANG!"

Now he couldn't figure out what was going on, Lelouch was fairly sure that bullets hurt and yet he didn't feel the least bit of pain. It could have been that Suzaku missed the first time, but he seemed determined enough and even so, Lelouch had heard at least four shots being fired. There was no way Suzaku's aim was THAT bad, especially at close range. Hesitantly, Lelouch opened his eyes, not quite sure what to expect. To his surprise, Suzaku wasn't even facing towards him! Suzaku had turned around after shooting the first bullet past him and fired at the soldiers behind the britannian leader, knocking down everyone down except for the leader. Suzaku now has his gun pointed at the leader who, having given his gun to Suzaku, was unarmed and had his hands to the air. "Lelouch" he called out "are you alright back there?"

Lelouch, who was staring at the scene with his mouth hanging open, finally processed the question and said "Yeah…I guess…" but then his brain kicked in. "Suzaku, you IDIOT! You scared the crap out of me!"

Suzaku couldn't help but snicker at the indignant reply, Lelouch was going to be fine if he could get mad at him right after he saved both of their lives. "Now, please turn around and lay on the ground, sir" he politely asked the leader.

"No way in hell, you damn Eleven! No britannian ever lowers his head to a number!" The leader shouted venomously. "I clearly should have shot you when I had the chance, no one would have missed an eleven scum!"

Lelouch's anger stirred at the britannian's arrogance and he was about to deliver a severe tongue lashing when the truck behind him exploded, after the faint shout of "_Nippon banzai!_". The explosion blew the cement wall next to them wide open and threw him onto the ground. Suzaku, being the faster and more athletic one, picked up the girl while shouting at Lelouch to get up and run.

Together, the two of them sprinted away from the now crumbling cement and disappeared into the subway tunnels, leaving no trace behind except the bodies of the three dead soldiers and one stunned leader.

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A/N: Wow, around 2,500 words altogether, including the A/Ns and the summary. *wipes sweat off forehead* I didn't expect to write so much, but I think only around 800 words, excluding the A/Ns and the summary were really my own, so it wasn't really THAT much. I think I have a new appreciation for all the writers I enjoy now. ^_^;

AUTHOR'S SURVEY, PLEASE READ!

In case you haven't noticed (I highly doubt this), this story basically starts off from the middle of the first episode of Code Geass, excluding the little flash back of course. I think that Lelouch and Suzaku turned out a little OOC, but that was to be expected, or else I would have just reproduced the story's plotline. I think Lelouch turned out a little weird since I can't see him doing as I had him do and just trust Nunnally to someone else but I don't think that's a major flaw (at least to me). Suzaku, on the other hand, I felt was completely different from CG. He seemed more mature, seeing that the world isn't laid out in black and white and that sacrificed have to be made, one way or another. HOWEVER! These are only my thoughts on the matter and since you guys are the readers this time, I'd love to hear about your opinions about this story. Again, I also would love some feedback about my writing (if there's something wrong, I want to correct it) and suggestions are also welcome, since the plot isn't really built yet. Also, if anyone could tell me Nunnally's age at the beginning of CG, it would be greatly appreciated since I don't recall it being said in the story and it wasn't on Wiki.

THANK YOU FOR READING MY STORY AND I'LL SEE YOU GUYS NEXT WEEK (PROBABLY)!


	2. Step 2: Reacquainted

A/N: Hey everyone! First of all, a shout out for everyone who reviewed: united88, sakurahanaalice, fra, ragez, and taira-keimei. _Arigatou gozaimasu! _Unfortunately, my account seems unable to tell me how many people actually read this story, but to all of you, thanks for reading! ^_^

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Step 2: Reacquainted

2017 a.t.b.

Shinjuku Ghetto, Area 11

Lelouch and Suzaku quickly sprinted away from the collapsing tunnel with Suzaku leading the way, regardless of the girl on his back. After 2 minutes of sprinting, Lelouch was exhausted. _'Damn, I should REALLY start showing up in gym class' _Lelouch thought before panting out "Su-Suzaku…wait up, I need stop for a bit"

Suzaku, who hadn't looked back since the tunnel now turned around with his mouth curved up into a smirk. "What's this, Lelouch? You definitely haven't gotten fitter over the years! I bet Nunnally could beat you in a race, STILL beat you, I mean"

Lelouch glared at his friend, trying to catch his breath before responding. "Shut up, Suzaku! You clearly haven't changed either, you exercise maniac! Not everyone can be as athletic as you, you know, and I was always frail in nature. And as for Nunnally, she has an electrical wheelchair now, so it's not strange that she can beat me."

Suzaku grinned, clearly not buying his excuse and retorted "Riiight, THAT'S why she can't beat you. And besides, I KNOW that you aren't that frail, you probably just got out of exercising any chance you got."

Lelouch just huffed, unable to make up a good defense for himself. Seeing as it was Suzaku, he didn't mind not getting the last word, at least this time. Having finished with the childish bickering though, Lelouch turned his thoughts back to more important matters. "So Suzaku, you're in the Britannian army now? For real, or are you spying for a terrorist faction?" Lelouch asked sadly, trying to see the truth in Suzaku's eyes.

Suzaku looked away, slightly ashamed of what he did. After a small pause, he replied "Yeah… I joined the army, for real. Or at least, I was…don't think I'm really welcomed anymore, but yeah…" He said softly, before chuckling awkwardly. "Anyways, what are you up to now, Lelouch? Did going to the Ashford's work out?"

Lelouch's eyes narrowed, clearly not liking Suzaku's obvious deflection and his involvement in the military. "What were you DOING in the army, Suzaku? If you had joined a faction and was sent as a mole, I would understand!" Lelouch insisted "But you go and join the army for real? The same army that wrongfully invaded you country, killed hundreds upon thousands of your countrymen, and places unfair restrictions upon your people now? They took JAPAN, took EVERYTHING from you! I thought I knew you! I never expected you to join the army to find a easy way out!"

Suzaku seemed to wince at every indignant accusation, but as soon as Lelouch started commenting about him "finding the easy way out", he snapped. "What are you talking about, Lelouch! You haven't seen me in seven whole years and yet you start assuming all sorts of things about me before I had a chance to explain? Haven't you even considered that I joined the Britannian army for a reason? Don't you DARE accuse me of trying to find the easy way out!"

Lelouch was slight shocked at Suzaku's response and a little annoyed that Suzaku had interrupted him, "The what the hell are you doing, Suzaku? What could joining the Britannian army possibly have to do with help protecting the Japanese? If anything, you're just making things worse for them, proving that Elevens would bow down to Britannians if the right prize is dangled in front of them."

Suzaku was getting more and more angry as Lelouch continued and retorted "I'm trying make this better the proper way! If I joined a terrorist group, all I would be doing is causing more death, more destruction! I was planning on climbing up the ranks in the army, showing everyone that Elevens were more than just beaten dogs! I was going to make my way up to becoming the Knight of One and claiming Area 11 as my area to protect it!"

Lelouch's eyes opened wider and wider as Suzaku described his grand plan to him. _'Suzaku wouldn't be so hopelessly naïve that he actually believes that the Britannian army would actually acknowledge him, right? Oh what am I talking about, it's SUZAKU, of course he would. He was always the over idealistic idiot with good intentions! God, I have to snap him out of this! There's no way that plan would work. Even if he made it as a knightmare pilot, that it's a big if, Britannian's politics and racism would tear him apart!' _Lelouch thought. "Suzaku" he stated calmly "you don't realize that your plan couldn't possibly work! You must have seen Britannian prejudice in the army, what makes you think you could possibly pull this through?"

Suzaku snapped out of his rage to process Lelouch's words. "Well…" his trailed on "I can't possibly give up without trying! This was the only way to change Britannia through justifiable means! If I joined the terrorists, all I would do was cause needless damage to innocent people!"

Lelouch stared, stunned at Suzaku's twisted logic. "Suzaku, what part of oppressing people who want nothing more than their basic rights shouts out justifiable to you? Britannian soldiers are made into an invading army, an oppressing force! There's no way to climb up to a respectable position if you're anything less that pure britannian, and even so, all you'd be doing is killing people who are either completely innocent, or people who have only picked up arms to try and defend their family and country! The only reason I survived today was that it happened to be you who found me. Anyone else and they would have killed me and anyone who was with me to keep that girl a secret!" he explained.

Suzaku took a few small steps back, shaking his head as if to clear Lelouch's word out of his head. "B-but, I DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER CHOICE! What could I possibly do then? I refuse to hurt innocent Britannians like the terrorists, you and Nunnally are living proof that not all Britannians are bad! I can't just stand by and watch others suffer because of my fathers decisions!" he protested. _'All of this is my fault for killing father! I was so naïve, thinking that surrendering would save the Japanese people for harm! I have to find a way to fix this, after all, I'm the only one who deserves to be punished for my misdeeds.'_

Lelouch stepped forwards, preventing Suzaku from distancing himself since he could see Suzaku's resolve breaking down. "Suzaku, just because you can't find a way to help doesn't mean that joining the army was the only forwards! The only ones who should be killed are the ones prepared to kill, and I know that you know that. That being said, freedom isn't free, and most of the time, the payment is blood. Strengthen your resolve and fight for your freedom! Help me accomplish the goal you didn't know how to achieve!" Lelouch declared, his voice growing stronger and stronger until he suddenly stopped, dropping the bomb on Suzaku and smiling gently.

Suzaku couldn't do anything more than stare with his eyes wide and his mouth open. "L-Lelouch, w-what are you talking about? You can't possibly be thinking about fighting against your own family right? He asked.

Lelouch's smile turned into a line of grim determination. "Suzaku, do you remember the promise I made with you before we headed separate ways seven years ago?"

Suzaku thought back, to the dark day when Lelouch announced that he and Nunnally would have to look for the Ashford family to seek protection and that they would have to separate since Suzaku would never get any help if he was seen associating with Britannians. His eyes widened even more when he recalled the last phrase, the last promise Lelouch had made with him. "W-what?" he stammered " obliterating Britannia? I thought you were just exaggerating, being over-emotional, you know."

Lelouch looked at him long and hard before continuing "No, Suzaku, I NEVER make promises I don't plan of keeping and later on, I promised Nunnally that when she can finally open her eyes, she'd be able to see a gentler world. I intend of fulfilling both of theses promises. As for fighting my family, I only consider Nunnally and Mother to be my family"

Suzaku gulped, seeing the pure determination in Lelouch's eyes and voice. "Al-alright then, Lelouch. If you truly intend to fulfill your promise, I'll join you"

Lelouch sighed, seeing that Suzaku's mind wasn't completely made up. "It's alright if you're not sure yet, you know." He explained "Just promise me you'll think things through when do you decide what to do. Just because you can't see a better way to do something doesn't mean that you should stop trying to find one. If you can't find a way, then make one and carve your own route."

The only thing Suzaku could do was nod weakly to Lelouch's words, but before he could respond, the sound of bullets being fired interrupted their discussion and all matter was put to a side while Suzaku and Lelouch ran to find a good place to hide.

* * *

15 Minutes earlier

Viceroy's G-1 Base, Shinjuku Ghetto

"Your Highness, the container has been found inside the old underground subway tunnels!" General Bartley reported. "Sir Anthony Bowman has been dispatched for the recovery and will report back when the target has been secured."

"Phew, that's good news, General Bartley, or else certain measures would have to be taken" said His Highness Clovis La Britannia with a steel edge in his tone.

"Yes, sir." General Bartley replied, swallowing. "I'm sure securing it won't be a problem since the Elevens would not last against our Britannian forces. There won't be a leak in information at this rate."

Clovis sat back, nodding while wearing a satisfied expression. "Just remember, Bartley, if this leaks out, the only one with any real knowledge of what's going on left will be me." He said, grinning sadistically.

General Bartley was now sweating bullets, waiting on Bowman to radio in. He had family, a wife and two kids, and he was sure that if word of the immortal research subject was spread, no one in his family would be spared.

Suddenly, the radio crackled into life and Sir Anthony Bowman reported in. "I deeply apologize, General Bartley, but the Honorary Britannian who reported the location turned his back on the army and took down my men! I knew deploying Elevens were a bad idea! Anyways, the terrorist in charge of driving truck detonated a bomb and collapsed the tunnel. I lost sight of the two culprits who took off with the target in the collapse."

General Bartley now paled, knowing that his fate was sealed. "Y-Your majesty, please forgive me!" He pleaded.

Clovis's confidence suddenly vanished and his inner panic levels started rising. _'Calm down, Clovis' _he reassured himself _'There has to be a way out of this, after all, you are a prince of Britannia. Now settle down, a calm front is important for morale._ _If I can't find the target, I'll just bury the evidence in the wreckage!' _He suddenly stood up from his seat and commanded " I, Clovis La Britannia, order you to destroy Shinjuku Ghetto!"

"Y-Yes your highness!" General Bradley replied, relieved to be alive. "Deploy all knightmares and soldiers! Kill anyone in the Ghetto and destroy the infrastructure!" He commanded the troops.

"Yes, my Lord!" came a string of responses.

* * *

15 Minutes Later

Shinjuku Ghetto

Lelouch and Suzaku ran as fast as possible away from the gunfire that only seemed to increase over time. They had just taken refuge in an abandoned factory of some kind before peeking out the windows. The scene before them was horrifying, knightmares rolling past and shooting down buildings while units of soldiers forced the residents of the ghetto into groups before shooting all of them and gunning down anyone who ran away.

Lelouch and Suzaku watched the seen with horrified eyes and at that instant, their thoughts matched._ 'Oh my God! This is a massacre!'_

* * *

A/N: Hmm, this turned out a bit shorter than I expected it to, but that's fine, considering I posted this 5 days EARLY! *Whoops* The review I got encouraged me to abandon my homework and work on this instead! :P

Major character development in this chapter, I think. Suzaku's eyes seem a little bit more open now, but he still has a bit of that masochism and idealism that makes him Suzaku. Not a lot of plot development, but we'll get to that soon. About the General Bradley…I ACTUALLY MADE HIM UP SINCE I WASN'T SURE WHO THE CHARACTER WAS IN CODE GEASS. If anyone does know, please tell me so that I can change it. I think it'll work fine as it is though…

So, WHAT DID YOU GUYS THINK? Did I overdo it with the long discussion between Lelouch and Suzaku? Was Clovis more evil than in CG (I thought so)? Please tell me!


	3. Step 3: Renewal

A/N: Hey ya'll! So far there's been 385 hits, 261 visitors, 10 alerts and 8 reviews! O.O *Shocked*

Thank you for reading guys! *Bows* There were more than I expected! A shout out to ShadowGOUF, Worker72 and especially, who Ragez, who reviewed for both chapters! _Arigatou Gozaimasu!_

For the rest of the story, I've decided to introduce a set of indicators for talking and thinking:

"This is speaking in English"

'This is thinking in English'

"This is speaking in Japanese"

'_This is thinking in Japanese'_

* * *

Step 3: Renewal

~Personal affection is a luxury you can have only after all your enemies are eliminated. Until then, everyone you love is a hostage, sapping your courage and corrupting your judgement~

2017 a.t.b.

Military Base, Area 11

_30 minutes earlier_

Shinji Hirako was sitting on his bunk, reading the letter his son had written for him before he left to join the Britannian army. He was an Honorary Britannian assigned to the terrorist division within the army, specially chosen because of his heritage and his ability to blend in and infiltrate terrorist groups. The job was rather dangerous, but he had come to acknowledge the fact that he had to risk his life in order to protect others, to protect his family.

Shinji was not a particularly patriotic man, but he couldn't help but feel a certain kind of sympathy for the terrorists he fought against. After all, infiltrating their ranks and befriending them had allowed him to actually understand what they were fighting for and it wasn't all that different from his goal. The only reason Shinji became an Honorary Britannian was to protect his family and let them live in a place other than the Ghettos. Sure, there was discrimination against him, both from snobbish Britannians and angry Japanese alike, but if baring it would allow his kids to have a decent education, food whenever they were hungry and a life without violence, Shinji was more than happy to shoulder the hate.

Just as Shinji was about to sigh and cast off his brooding, an urgent announcement rang out inside the military base. "All Honorary Britannians are asked to report to the assembly area to receive orders for an emergency mission in the Shinjuku Ghetto. I repeat, all Honorary Britannians are asked to report to the assembly area to receive orders for an emergency mission in the Shinjuku Ghetto!"

Shinji stopped his brooding immediately, snapping to attention like he was trained to do. Quickly, he put on his boots and uniform and rushed to the to the assembly room as he was ordered, all the while wondering what the mission could be. _'What could happen in the Shinjuku Ghetto? That was where my family and I lived before moving into the settlement and it seemed pretty peaceful for a ghetto. Sure, the normal Britannian slandering and Japanese freedom movements existed, but we were able to live in relative peace compared to the ghettos I was sent to. Mom and dad still live there, along with my friends. Oh god, I hope it isn't anything major, but why would they only deploy Honorary Britannians? There are too many of us for it to be an infiltration and they wouldn't ask us to suppress the masses since they're scared we'd defect…'_

As he debated the matter, his feet brought him to the assembly room where all the Honorary Britannians had, well, assembled. A Britannian soldier gave him instructions to join a group of seven other people to form a unit of eight and heading there, he saw his friend from basic training, Ryoga Echizen. As he exchanged pleasantries with Ryoga, a Britannian with a royal guard uniform walked to the platform where a mike was placed. At the call for attention, both friends stopped talking and stood at parade rest.

"Attention! Good, nice to see that all of you can listen to orders. The mission assigned to you Honorary Britannians this time is directly ordered by his highness, Clovis La Britannia!" The guard announced.

At this declaration, the whole crowd burst into murmurs. At this point, Shinji was whispering to Ryoga. _"Ne Ryoga-kun, what do you think we're going to do? What could be so important that Clovis himself would order around us Japanese?" _

Ryoga himself said nothing, not knowing what could possibly prompt a prince of Britannia to directly take charge of the "useless" numbers.

"Ahem! Moving on!" The guard called out in an attempt to regain the attention of the soldiers. "Your mission is to infiltrate the Shinjuku Ghetto and search for a container which the Eleven terrorist stole. This container holds poison gas that was being researched. It is of utmost importance that this container is recaptured and anyone who spots the gas will alert the royal guards with the pager that will be distributed and wait until we get there to approach the container! The person who finds the container will be awarded handsomely, so work hard to prove that you're better than the filthy terrorists who endanger precious Britannian lives with the gas!"

Another murmur ran through the crowd upon the announcement of an award and most were eager to start the mission. Shinji couldn't help but feel a nagging suspicion that something was wrong. _'There's something fishy about this situation. Even if we were looking for the container in the Shinjuku Ghetto, there's no reason to not send ordinary Britannian soldiers along with us. Especially since the officers don't trust the Honorary Britannians to stay loyal. What if the person who finds the gas deflects? There's probably more to this mission than meets the eye…"_

"Shinji, what are you waiting for?" asked Ryoga.

The sudden question jerked Shinji out of his thoughts as he rushed to join the rest of his unit, who were busy equipping themselves with weapons and pagers. _'Oh well…' _Shinji concluded _'There's no point in wondering about it, I can't do anything except follow orders anyways.'_

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Shinji learned to regret his thoughts. He, along with the rest of the Honorary Britannians, had received an announcement from General Bartley telling them to meet at a rendezvous point. Upon attaining the site, Shinji and his unit had been assigned to a platoon along with ordinary Britannian soldier. Shinji mentally groaned at the sight of the platoon leader. The man was called Jasper Whitlock, a severely racist man who thought of himself as the most important man in the world, more worship worthy than the Emperor himself. He, along with Ryoga, had been under his charge during basic training and had been punished for the slightest error, even if the people around them had done the same thing. Jasper had taken pride in being their chief torturer and being Britannian, was never criticized for it.

Shinji's sombre mood at seeing Jasper again had darkened even further when he heard the orders and his mouthed dropped in shock. All soldiers were ordered to destroy the Shinjuku Ghetto and kill everyone on site. His thoughts immediately jumped to his mother and father who stilled lived in the ghetto, refusing to become Honorary Britannians and live inside the Britannian Settlement. He became panicked at the thought of them not making it through the day and he had to stop himself from throwing up, swallowing the bile that had built up in his mouth. _'Oh my God! Mom, Dad, all my friends too! All because of some damn terrorists and their stupid methods! Damn the military for resorting to pure massacre for the sake of preserving their pride!'_

Shinji noticed that the rest of his unit had all turned as pale as him at the moment the orders were announce. He then saw an evil vindictive smile upon Jasper's face as he watched them. His grin widened as caught Shinji staring at him.

"What's wrong, Shinji?" he asked in a sarcastic tone. "Too scared about removing trash? And why shouldn't you, you're a useless Eleven after all, another number who doesn't deserve to live in the glorious Britannian Empire. I don't know why the army bothers with you Elevens, you're all a bunch of savage uncivilized monkeys who can't be tamed and isn't useful for anything except being target practice!"

Shinji gritted his teeth while he listened to Jasper's diatribe. It wasn't something he was unused to, hearing the same things over and over again in basic training had desensitized him, but that, coupled with the shocking fate of his mother and father had worn on his nerves. Jasper, seeing that perhaps he had almost pushed Shinji to physically retaliating, smiled in his mind, but stopped provoking the soldier. 'No reason to break the toy this fast, better to drag this out and watch him suffer as he killed the Elevens in this ghetto.' He thought.

Jasper, satisfied by seeing Shinji seethe, ordered his men forward. He almost jumped for joy when he caught sight of an apartment. His inner pleasure was carefully concealed, however, when he ordered his men to round up the Elevens living inside. As he saw around twenty Elevens exit the building with guards, he started smirking, imagining the amount of killing he would be allowed to do today.

Shinji, on the other hand, felt like his world had gone black. Of all the apartments in the area, Jasper had unwittingly chosen the one where his parents lived in. His mind was still holding the hope that his parents had either left of was away and would be spared and his heart plummeted when he saw his parents being lead out by Ryoga, who was one of the few who acted the least bit civilized towards the civilians. He lost all feeling in his legs in a single moment and collapsed onto his knees. His parents, catching the motion, held hopeful expressions as they believed that their son would be able to explain this situation.

Unfortunately for Shinji, Jasper had also caught sight of his fall. Jasper's smirk grew bigger as he realized that Shinji was having a breakdown. "Shinji Hirako, what on earth are you doing?" He demanded. "Don't you understand your orders? Kill everyone on sight! What the hell are you so shocked about?"

Shinji, who was numb at this point, stared as his parents as they gradually realized the situation. "S-Sir, I can't! They're my PARENTS!"

A round of murmurs now filled the platoon, mostly whispers of sympathy. Ryoga was one of the ones most shocked. He couldn't believe he himself had lead Shinji's parents to their deaths. If only he had known, he would have asked them to hide and declared that the room had been empty.

Jasper, whose eyes had widened and mouth dropped, quickly shook his head and recovered from his shock. He couldn't believe his luck! His favourite toy just became more entertaining. "Well, as an Honorary Britannian, you have to obey the orders of the army, and by relation, me. I order you to kill all the Elevens in this building!"

Shinji's eyes grew vengeful as he heard the order. Grabbing his gun, he pointed it forwards, as if following his orders. Suddenly, he whipped it in the direction of Jasper and shot. He no longer remembered his responsibility to his children as he focused on removing the one who caused him so much suffering and ordered him to kill his family.

Jasper Whitlock died with a smile on his face, his mind not having enough time to understand what happened before the bullet entered his skull. His last thoughts had been of cruel amusement, imagining the expression of Shinji as he killed his parents had ordered.

Shinji only remembers a few moments of vague panic as his fellow soldiers reeled at his actions. Suddenly, his vision blackened and his mind drifted into unconsciousness. One of the Britannian soldiers had acted, knocking Shinji out and pulling out a gun to settle the platoon. The soldiers, following the orders, then exterminated all the civilians with a bad taste in their mouth as they watched the fear in the Elevens' eyes fade into unseeing orbs while they died from the hail of bullets. For some there, the realization that the Britannian army didn't always do good came and guilt surged as they realized that everyone they killed had friends and family, that the ones who died loved and were loved.

* * *

In the other side of the ghetto, Lelouch and Suzaku stayed hidden in the abandoned building as they watched hopelessly while innocent Japanese were being round up and shot for simply being there. For Lelouch, this was a horrible reminder of the Second Pacific War when Japan was taken. The scenes of violence had changed, but the same idea of ruthless slaughter of the innocent remained. 'Britannia never changes as long as Father is in charge' he thought.

Suzaku, on the other hand, was severely shaken by the cruelty he was witnessing. _'Was this what the army had been up to? How could they sacrifice the lives of so many just to keep the girl a secret! Is this the 'good' side I was serving? Was this the justice I believed in? All I want is to serve the Japanese people and yet, haven't my actions made things even worse?'_

Lelouch, who had been the first to snap out it, looked back to Suzaku. Seeing the state he was in, Lelouch couldn't help but pity his best friend. He knew that Suzaku was more innocent than he appeared and loved to see the best in people. Sighing internally, he reached out to shake Suzaku and bring him back to the present.

Suzaku, feeling the sudden touch on his shoulder, acted on pure instinct and grabbed the offending arm and twisted it. Coming out of his faze, however, he saw Lelouch's expression of pain and let go quickly. Looking downwards, he quietly asked his best friend about his doubts. _"Hey Lelouch, what I've been doing all this time? I thought I was serving the army in order to help my people, but seeing this massacre, was I wrong to trust the army? How could I even THINK of helping people who would do all of this to retrieve a girl? Was I ever anything more than a naïve idiot?"_

Lelouch's eyes opened wide as he heard Suzaku's pain in his voice. He was amazed at how Suzaku seemed to finally grasp the situation. At first, he wasn't sure if Suzaku really understood what he was getting into by joining the army, but this assured him that Suzaku's eyes were wide open and would stay that way . Thinking of what to say, he could only reply sombrely _"Suzaku, I know you, even if you deny it. You're still that exercise maniac with good intentions and a trusting heart. Yes, you may have been a naïve idiot to join the army, but I know all you wanted to do was help. Don't beat yourself up about this, at least your eyes are wide open now. As for the army, I have to admit that most of them don't want to commit this massacre. A lot of the soldiers have been deceived by the Emperor and don't want to do anything more than protect their families. That being said, the ones in power are corrupt, purposely doing this for their heartless entertainment. Those people are inhumane, controlling the mass like puppets for their own gain. They either don't understand what they're doing or don't care. Either way, I will destroy them, for Nunnally's sake if nothing else. Suzaku, now that you know of what the army is willing to do and what I am willing to do to stop them, do you still wish to rejoin them? Or will you join me on the path of blood to remove this cancer on the Japanese people and create a peaceful world for Nunnally to live in?"_

Suzaku stilled looked down, not letting Lelouch see his expression. His mind was racing with the information he had been provided, but his heart was pulling him towards Lelouch's words. He had no doubt that Lelouch was really willing and capable to do what he described. If memories of him defeating everyone in his household in chess at the tender age of ten were any indication, Lelouch would have a veritable chance of fighting Britannia. It was the mention of Nunnally that decided it. If Lelouch was willing to lose his life, his innocence, and his soul for Nunnally, who was he to not do the same? As repentance for killing his father and to keep Lelouch company, standing beside him and supporting him in a way even Nunnally cannot. Finally looking up, his eyes showing grim determination once more. He dropped onto one knee and declared _"I, Suzaku Kururugi, heir of the Kururugi Clan and son of the old prime minister, Genbu Kururugi, herby swear my allegiance to you, Lelouch vi Britannia, for the sake of a peaceful world!" _

Lelouch smiled victoriously as his best friend declared his loyalty to him. Internally, he breathed a sigh of relief, glad that he didn't have to fight his best friend. Turning his confident smile into one of kindness, he reached out, grabbed Suzaku's hand and pulled him up to a standing position. Seeing Suzaku's confused look, he explained _"Suzaku Kururugi, I, Lelouch vi Britannia, herby acknowledge your allegiance. May you be my sword and shield and I, your guidance. We will stand as equals and change this world into one of peace for together, we can accomplish anything!"_

Suzaku then relaxed, his irrational fear of being rejected replaced by the feeling of acceptance. It was just like Lelouch too, to bend his will the slightest bit, not letting him take control even for a declaration of servitude. He stood proud, the first time since he had joined the army, and shook Lelouch's hand as an act of agreement. Their moment was soon spoilt, however, by a voice close to the entrance of the factory announced. "Hey, shouldn't we check this place for anyone hiding too?"

* * *

A/N: *Squeals at Lelouch's and Suzaku's declarations* I wish this could have happened to Lelouch and Suzaku in Code Geass. The aspect of them fighting against each other in spite of having the same goals in CG was one of the most frustrating and sad aspects of story for me.

On a side note, Worker72, hope this answers your comment!

It's kind of evil of me to leave you guys with yet another cliff hanger, but I really enjoy making them *cackles* How did you guys like Shinji Hirako? Any guesses for what I'm going to do with him?

On that note, anyone notice the origin of the names I created: Shinji Hirako, Ryoga Echizen, and Jasper Whitlock? How about the origin of the quote at the beginning of the story?

Anyone who knows the origin of all of these will be applauded for their knowledge, maybe I'll even concede to a demand from that reader…

Anyways, tell me how you feel about the chapter and feel free to point out any mistakes I made!


	4. Step 4: Receive

A/N: Hey guys! So far, there's been 928 hits, 488 readers, 13 alerts, 12 reviews and 5 favs. ^_^; again, more than expected. Thanks guys!

To Ragez, thank you for continuing to review! I know that sometimes it's a pain to review for stories (at least I feel that way "), so I really appreciate you taking the time to review for each chapter. I do agree that the part about Shinji was really sad (more so than I planned), but I thought it was necessary to provide a genuine reason for people to fight back against the army.

To Kurai, I can't believe you were the only one to notice the Bleach and Prince of Tennis references. (or at least, you were the only one who commented on it :P) No, it isn't a crossover, I just wanted to make names that weren't random (it just doesn't fit right when I try making up names). Since neither of them will be a major character, I guess it'll be alright to plagiarize their names *lol* In case you were wondering, Jasper Whitlock is a character from Twilight, a story I've read, but not one I'm obsessed with.

To DL, I've been waiting for someone to bring up the topic of pairings! As far as I've planned the story, there won't be direct pairing. (I'm not good at writing about love). That being said, there's going to be a lot of platonic, I repeat, PLATONIC, love floating around in the story since I felt that Lelouch and Suzaku didn't have much emotional backing in CG. So expect camaraderie and emotional support from them and probably Kallen (I'm still deciding about it). That said, I also have to say that Shirley will show up at some point (probably months from now at the pace I'm going :P) and she'll still have that tragic one-sided love story going on.

To Taira-keimei: Thank you for your on going support and encouragement. I'll work hard to make it a story worth your expectations. I don't really have anything else to say, but I wanted to comment since I replied to the other reviewers. I noticed that you commented twice now, so thanks for following this story. ^.^

Again, thank you all for reviewing! _Arigatou Gozaimasu! _

On with the story after my page long Author's Note (Sorry bout that .)!

* * *

_Last time:_

Suzaku then relaxed, his irrational fear of being rejected replaced by the feeling of acceptance. It was just like Lelouch too, to bend his will the slightest bit, not letting him take control even for a declaration of servitude. He stood proud, the first time since he had joined the army, and shook Lelouch's hand as an act of agreement. Their moment was soon spoilt, however, by a voice close to the entrance of the factory announced. "Hey, shouldn't we check this place for anyone hiding too?"

* * *

Step 4: Receive

2017 a.t.b.

Shinjuku Ghetto

Lelouch and Suzaku quickly snapped their heads up in the direction of the voice, clearly a Britannian soldier as none of the residents of the ghetto would be speaking English of their own free will. Ducking behind the beginning of a conveyer belt, the two friends exchanged glances, silently warning the other to be quiet and hoping they wouldn't be discovered.

"Sir, I really think that we should check out that factory, it would be a good place for terrorists to hide in." declared the soldier, having no idea of the consequences of his actions.

"Private, you're being ridiculous! What kind of terrorist would hide in a abandoned factory when they could try and blend in with the general populace?" the commander stated in a haughty voice.

"Sir, I mean no disrespect, but if the terrorists caught wind of our orders, they would take cover away from the civilians. In any case, it would cause us no harm to check!" insisted the private.

"Humph, you young soldiers are always so eager to follow commands to the letter. In any case, you bring up a good point, we'll check the area" the commander conceded.

* * *

Inside the abandoned factory, Lelouch and Suzaku cursed the private in their minds. 'Geez, I have bad luck today. First I get caught up with the terrorists, almost got shot by Britannian soldiers, and now I'm going to get caught by an over-eager soldier!' thought Lelouch

The echoing footsteps stopped for a brief moment as the young private sneezed and wiped his nose on the sleeve of his uniform. 'Ugg, must be the dust in the ghetto." He deduced.

Meanwhile, Lelouch and Suzaku sweat dropped both thinking the same thing in different languages. 'Wow, I can't believe that just happened, what a coincidence!'

* * *

"Are you alright, private?" the commander asked.

"Yes sir!" the private replied, slightly embarrassed, "the dust is just getting to me, that's all."

The commander made an exasperated expression and returned to the task at hand. "In any case, private, there doesn't seem to be anyone in here, guess the terrorists haven't figured anything out"

At that point, both Lelouch and Suzaku were holding their breaths. At the commanders words, both let out their breaths only to stop breathing as soon as Lelouch's phone rang. Eyes widening, Lelouch quickly whipped his phone out and pressed the end call button, all the while cursing the person who called. 'Damn it Shirley, now of all times?'

* * *

Miles away, Shirley frowned at her phone. She had been getting ready for swimming practice when she decided to find out if her beloved Lulu was out gambling again. 'Rivalz should have never told Lelouch about his job at the gambling den!' she sighed mentally. But still… There wasn't a need for Lelouch to hang up on her so quickly, she hadn't even gotten the chance to say hi! What if it was an emergency! 'Humph, I'll have to talk to Lulu about how he treats people' she decided.

* * *

Back in the ghetto, Lelouch's heartbeat tripled as he heard the footsteps, which were fading, halt and shuffled, most likely the sound of soldiers turning back around. Suzaku, on the other hand, was just internally cursing his best friend's stupidity. 'Geez Lelouch, you can convince me into becoming a terrorist and leaving the army but you can't turn of your phone when we're hiding from the army that's trying KILL us?'

"Private! Did you hear that?" The commander demanded, his hand reaching for his gun lying in his holster.

"Yes sir!" the private replied, stunned that he had actually found terrorists. He too, following the commander's example, took out his gun and help it in front of him in a ready position.

Suzaku and Lelouch both winced as the soldiers reached the conveyer belt and gasped as they saw Suzaku, Lelouch and the blond girl crouched in the corner.

Suzaku, being the only conscious and athletically capable person there, leaped into action as he ran full speed towards the group of soldiers.

'What, a Honorary Britannian?' was the only thing most of the soldiers thought of before Suzaku reached them. Unfortunately for him, Suzaku found himself inside a whole platoon of soldiers. An excellent martial artist he might have been, but against 1 to 10 odds, Suzaku found himself restrained by one soldier, causing all the others to dog pile on top of him and place handcuffs on his wrists. Immobilized and tackled onto the floor, he couldn't do anything more than look up desperately, hoping he had bought Lelouch the time to run away.

Lelouch barely got the time to process what was happening before the soldiers had their guns aiming at him. Backed against a cement wall, all of his intelligence would do him no good. 'Damn, I've gotten this far only to be killed by a stray phone call? Is my live some kind of TV drama or something?' He cursed.

Suzaku couldn't believe it when he saw the slightest bit of hopelessness appear in Lelouch's eyes. _'N-no, this is LELOUCH! The same person who would rather put himself through hell rather than see Nunnally hurt! There's no way he could give up now!' _he reminded himself. Spurred by his beliefs, he continued to struggle underneath the soldier's hold.

Lelouch's mind had gone through much the same thoughts as Suzaku as he debated what to do. Encouraged by Suzaku's struggles, he was planning to try and say something stunning to the soldier and hopefully shock them into not being able to act while he ran past them. Just as he was about to open his mouth however, his plans were dashed by the commander, who had decided that this situation had gone on for far too long.

"Hmm, you did a good job, for a terrorist. Then again, I guess it's to be expected. After all, you're Britannian aren't you? A pure blooded one at that, if my eyes don't deceive me." He commented, slightly impressed considering that his opponent appeared to be a teenager.

Lelouch could only look away, slightly disgusted at his own helplessness. His gaze strayed towards the window where he could see the bodies of civilians who were caught in the fight. Harmless people, men, women, and even children meet their end at the hands of Britannian soldiers.

"An intelligent young Brit like you would have had a good future, but now, I'm claiming it as my own. The military will award me greatly for killing the terrorist who dared defy glorious Britannia. Farwell, young one!" The commander claimed, finger on the trigger with the gun pointed at Lelouch's chest.

"No! Don't kill him!" A voice rang out. Stunned, Lelouch turned his head to see the mysterious green haired girl he and Suzaku had saved run towards him, putting herself in front of him in the line of fire. 'W-What…' was the only thing his mind had time to process before the unmistakable sound of a gunshot was heard.

The commander, who had pulled the trigger out of pure reflex, looked at Lelouch fiercely, as if blaming him for what had just occurred. Suddenly, his expression changed, into one of confidence and victory. "Men, here's what happened. We spotted the terrorist carrying the girl into the abandoned factory. Upon reaching the site, we took down him and his Honorary Britannian accomplice, but didn't make it in time to save the girl" he declared.

"Sir, yes sir!" the soldiers chanted, no one willing to protest.

'W-What is this?' Lelouch wondered, despair and frustration building in his mind. 'All those civilians, Suzaku, this girl…am I going to meet my end here too? Without having done anything meaningful in my life, so quickly…What about Nunnally?'

In the middle of his metal conflict, Lelouch failed to notice as the hand of the girl he had tried to save grabbed him, transporting him to a world which was not his own.

"You don't want it to end here do you?" a female voice, which could only belong to the captive girl, asked.

Lelouch's mind went blank for a moment before he witnessed incomprehensible memories which were not his own flicker in his mind. All the while, the voice continued. "You seem to have a reason to live, a good one at that."

Amazed by the sudden turn of events, Lelouch could barely process what was going on. 'The girl? How was that possible?' he wondered, completely in shock.

"If you had the power, would you be able to live? This is a contract. In exchange for power, will you be able to grant one wish of mine? If you agree to my contract, you will live as a human separated from other humans by the power I will give you. A different source, a different time, a different live… The power of the kings will isolate you, but if you're prepared to face that…" the voice trailed off, intentions clear.

Filled with determination, Lelouch proclaimed not out loud, as he later found out, but mentally. 'That's fine! I accept this contract'

* * *

Lelouch stood up slowly, covering his eye which seemed to ebb a certain kind of heat, not totally unpleasant, but hot enough to signify the power it had gained. 'And what a power it was' Lelouch thought. 'The woman was not kidding when she said she'd grant me a different way of life. This boggles even MY imagination'

Still rising, Lelouch left his left eye hidden behind his right hand and looked with his right at the soldiers before addressing them. "Hey, how do you think a Britannian who despises Britannia should live?" He pondered, not really expecting an answer.

The commander grinned, pleased that the student seem to give in to his fate. "What are you, an ideologist or something?" he asked, slightly amused by the boy's actions.

Suzaku, on the other hand, had begun to feel slightly worried. He knew that Lelouch would never give up without a fight, and the confidence in his voice…he was sure that it was real. Lelouch had found a way out this somehow, but the way he acted, it was as if he didn't care if the soldiers knew about his hatred towards Britannia. As if they wouldn't make it out alive to tell the tale, and that alone made a shudder run up Suzaku's spine.

Completely unaffected by the commander's words, Lelouch continued. "What's wrong?" He asked mockingly. "Weren't you going to shoot me?"

The commander hesitated a little, slightly unnerved by how confident the student seemed. 'Does he know something I don't?' he wondered.

Lelouch's voice continued on. "And why not? Your opponent is a student, after all. Or have you realized? Only those who are prepared to shoot are able to shoot!" he proclaimed. Tantalizingly slowly, he lowered his right arm to reveal an once amethyst eye with the symbol of a crimson bird in flight blazing within.

"W-What is that?" the commander demanded, shaken by the abnormal eye coupled with the boy's confidence. His arm, now trembling, lowered slightly as he took a step back, his instincts urging him to flee and escape.

Suzaku's eyes widened, just as shocked as the rest of soldiers. _'Lelouch, what happened to you? What have you done?' _he wondered.

Lelouch took a step forwards, pleased by the reactions he got. "Lelouch vi Britannia commands you!" he declared, not noticing the shocked gasp coming from Suzaku, feeling the power surge within him, "All you soldiers, DIE!"

Suzaku could only look around dazed as every soldier around him, even the one who was supposed to hold him down, stiffened and rose to their feet. Their eyes seemed unfocused, staring blindly ahead as they proclaimed in unison. "Yes, your Highness!" they declared, before lifting their guns right next to their necks and firing, completely unconcerned about dying.

Lelouch's face rang of slight innocence as he saw the soldiers die on his command. He barely seemed to notice the spray of blood that now decorated his face. His expression quivered for a little bit, displaying the slight shock of taking a dozen lives, before he got it under control, focusing on the seemingly dead girl and Suzaku, who was looking at him like he was crazy.

"_L-Lelouch!" _he stuttered, still coming back from his astonishment, _"What on earth have you done?" W-What's with your eye? How did you get those soldiers to follow you command? Why did you kill them all?" _he demanded, trying to wrap his head around what had just occurred around him.

When Lelouch looked as his best friend, he wore an expression of slight worry and amusement. _"Suzaku, are you OK? You know I had to silence those soldiers, they were going to kill us! I'll explain everything afterwards, you won't believe what just happened. For now, lets get out of here before the people who heard the gunshots rush in." _he said softly, purposely speaking in Japanese to soothe the confused teen.

Lelouch quickly walked to the body of the dead commander and fished in the pockets of his uniform, coming up with the keys to the handcuffs Suzaku was put in. Returning to Suzaku's side, he then removed the handcuffs binding Suzaku and pulled him up onto his feet. Not releasing his hand, Lelouch forcibly dragged Suzaku away from the scene, but not before casting his gaze upon the body of the seemingly now dead girl. 'Whoever you are, thank you for giving me this power to protect the people I love and fulfill the promises I made. I'll regret not being to grant your wish, but fate has a cruel way of being fickle.' He thought solemnly.

"_Come on, Suzaku, let's get out of here before we get caught again!" _he protested, exiting the factory where the beginning of the greatest war in history took place.

* * *

A/N: Hmm, not a very long chapter, but we're finally through episode 1 of CG! Wow that took longer than I expected *0.0* A relatively short chapter, only about 2, 300 words excluding both Author's notes. Lelouch finally gets his geass and Suzaku is thrown for a loop.

There are a few things that should be mentioned. If any of you are high school students (or used to be) in either the US or Canada, you should know that now is the time for finals! As it is, I currently have to study for 3 tests worth 20% of my mark and one worth 40%. I am now officially in cram mode! This means, sadly, that I will not have much time, if any, to write a new chapter until Sunday the 30th. *T_T* In any case, if I do find a time to write, I'll post one more chapter before THIS Sunday, but if now, expect to wait another week or so. I promise I will make up for this though, with an extra large chapter after I finish up the semester. ^_^

The talk of chapters brings me to my next point, being whether or not the chapters should be elongated, but less frequent. As a reader, I tend to prefer long updates, even if I have to wait, and honestly, 2000-3000 words per chapter is really short in my standards. As I've said before though, this time YOU guys are the readers, so feel free to either review or vote on the poll that's going to be posted.

As always, I would love to hear your opinions of the chapter and the story!


	5. Step 5: Reaction

A/N: Hey guys! *waves* this is manga-otaku_94 here! ^_^

So far, there's been 1440 hits, 698 visitors, 16 reviews, 15 alerts and 8 favs (^-^)

I managed to post this chapter right before my finals, but I guess that's just because I wanted to put off my studying :P

To PXLight: I'm glad you could relax for a bit between homework and studying for finals. I do the same thing (:P) except I also write cause I'M A PROCRASTINATOR AND I AM PROUD ! *lol*

To tiara-keimei, Ragez, and sakurahanaalice, I believe I replied to all your reviews separately, but I wanted to mention you guys since you've stuck with me and reviewed constantly. ^_^

Now, on with the chapter! (If you haven't just skipped to it by now :P)

* * *

Last time:

"_L-Lelouch!" he stuttered, still coming back from his astonishment, "What on earth have you done?" W-What's with your eye? How did you get those soldiers to follow you command? Why did you kill them all?" he demanded, trying to wrap his head around what had just occurred around him. _

_When Lelouch looked as his best friend, he wore an expression of slight worry and amusement. "Suzaku, are you OK? You know I had to silence those soldiers, they were going to kill us! I'll explain everything afterwards, you won't believe what just happened. For now, lets get out of here before the people who heard the gunshots rush in." he said softly, purposely speaking in Japanese to soothe the confused teen. _

_Lelouch quickly walked to the body of the dead commander and fished in the pockets of his uniform, coming up with the keys to the handcuffs Suzaku was put in. Returning to Suzaku's side, he then removed the handcuffs binding Suzaku and pulled him up onto his feet. Not releasing his hand, Lelouch forcibly dragged Suzaku away from the scene, but not before casting his gaze upon the body of the seemingly now dead girl. 'Whoever you are, thank you for giving me this power to protect the people I love and fulfill the promises I made. I'll regret not being to grant your wish, but fate has a cruel way of being fickle.' He thought solemnly. _

"_Come on, Suzaku, let's get out of here before we get caught again!" he protested, exiting the factory where the beginning of the greatest war in history took place._

* * *

Step 5: Reaction

2017 a.t.b.

Shinjuku Ghetto, Area 11

Lelouch had been dragging Suzaku along for 3 whole minutes before Suzaku finally gathered his thoughts enough to jog alongside Lelouch and make steady progress away from the abandoned factory. Behind them, Lelouch could have sworn he heard the shock of discovering the dead platoon and footsteps trailing behind them. Apparently, paranoia had set in and he was now running on pure adrenaline, using muscles which haven't been exercised in years. Suzaku, he noticed, hadn't even broken out a sweat, acting as if it was a leisurely jog, which to him, it might have been.

Eventually, however, Lelouch gave in to his screaming muscles and stopped running, waiting for a few seconds for Suzaku to realize he stopped and jog back. Lelouch was now panting, leaning against a wall to catch his breath. Suzaku, who was no longer distracted with escaping, now had time to process what had happened in the abandoned factory.

"_Hey Lelouch, it's safe here, or at least more safe, isn't it? Can you finally tell me what the hell's been doing on? One second the girl leaps in front of a bullet for you and moment later you command all the soldiers to die with your real name? I know Britannians are loyal to the royal family, but no one's THAT loyal. What did you do?" _Suzaku demanded, completely bewildered.

"_Suzaku, what I'm going to tell you it the truth, but it's going to sound crazy, but just listen till the end, ok? _Lelouch pleaded.

"_A-alright…" _Suzaku agreed reluctantly, not quite understanding why Lelouch's voice sounded so urgent.

"_Everything was quite normal until the commander started talking about pinning the girl's death on me…well, not __**normal**__ normal, but nothing unexpected. But then, when he was going to kill me, the girl, who wasn't quite dead yet, by the way, grabs my leg or something and all of a sudden…" _Lelouch continued on, describing what had happened to him, hoping that Suzaku could actually believe what had actually happened.

* * *

"_Lelouch, let me see if I got this right" _Suzaku said is a doubting tone_ "The girl, who was shot in the head and survived, offered you a contract where you grant her wish and you get mind control powers?" _he continued in disbelief _"Do you REALLY expect me to believe this?"_

"_Suzaku…" _Lelouch said, slightly insulted, yet also understanding that the story was simply unbelievable. 'Heck, if Suzaku suddenly got powers like mine and told me he got it from a dead girl, I'd worry about his sanity too.' He thought.

"Lelouch…" Suzaku complained, seeing that his friend's thoughts had drifted elsewhere "I'm not trying to say that you're lying, but how do you honestly think I can just nod and go with your explanation?"

"That's true…but how about this…I swear on my mother's grave and my honour that I'm telling you the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth." Lelouch said, completely serious.

_S_uzaku's eyes widened a little, now sure that Lelouch was telling the truth_ 'There's no way he would lie about something like that, especially on his mother's grave and his own honour. The only thing he could swear on that's more important to him is Nunnally, and he would never do that!' _the boy thought.

"_Alright, I believe you then"_ Suzaku decided._ "But still, to obtain a power like that, and to use it on others, Lelouch, what were you thinking?" _he demanded, slightly disgruntled by how Lelouch had bent the will of others to suit himself.

"Suzaku…" Lelouch protested "What do you think I could have done? It was either that or let both of us get killed! I can't apologize for putting Nunnally, you, and myself above the lives of the soldiers who were killing civilians. I simply refuse to say sorry about something I don't regret doing!"

"_Y-you could have geassed them to forget about us couldn't you?" _Suzaku complained, not really willing to put himself above others because of his past._ "There was no reason to kill them, was there?"_

"_Suzaku.." _Lelouch said, gritting his teeth, slightly running out patience with the naïve teen. _"I didn't, don't, know how long the order would last. If word got around, we'd be in even more danger, Nunnally included. And also, aren't you acting a little hypocritical about this? It's OK to geass them to forget, but it isn't OK to geass them to kill themselves? Either way, I would have to bend their wills!"_

Suzaku sulked silently, knowing that Lelouch had won this round, but also knowing that he would try again later "I'll agree to this for now, but don't think this discussion is over, Lelouch!"

Lelouch sighed, not really expecting anything less. 'Guess he's still slightly innocent inside, huh. Well, that's not always a bad thing, I guess.'

"_Alright, Suzaku, later, but for now, we have to find a way to help the terrorists along and get out of here" _he said, directing his thoughts towards Nunnally who he just knew would be worried. 'At least I'll have a good excuse and an excellent gift to smooth things over' he thought, smiling at the reaction he imagined Nunnally would have, seeing their old friend again.

"_Huh?" _Suzaku sputtered, surprised._ "What do you mean help the terrorists? Didn't I tell you I wouldn't become a terrorist and harm innocents?"_ he protested indignantly.

"_Suzaku," _Lelouch replied, irritated that Suzaku would continue to think so lowly of him._ "I said we're going to help the terrorists, not join them. I was suggesting that we help them defeat the army here to stop the massacre and then escape. You didn't really think I was just going to escape the ghetto and shrug it off, right?" _He demanded.

"_Well…" _Suzaku responded to his boots, embarrassed _"I haven't seen you in seven years! You could have changed since then, like everyone else I knew…" _he trailed off sadly.

"_Suzaku Kururugi!"_ Lelouch stated _"I'll pretend I never heard that. From now on, __**trust me**__! I promise I won't force you to do anything that goes completely against your morals. Though I might strongly persuade you to do some things" _Lelouch said, his voice becoming less serious.

"_L-Lelouch!"_ Suzaku exclaimed_"Don't say that! Geez, you had me convinced up until you threw in the stuff about persuading me."_ He complained.

"_Anyways,"_ Lelouch said, his voice returning to all seriousness, _"we'll need to obtain some information first, hopefully we'll be able to get one or two of them from the army using the geass. As for the terrorists…"_ his voice trailed off as he spotted a slightly battered but still functioning radio what was sputtering directions in Japanese,_ "This will prove invaluable!" _he proclaimed rather happily since all the factors seem to be clicking into place.

Suzaku sighed, knowing there would be no way of convincing Lelouch out of his plan._ 'Just like when we were ten, he would always try to boss me around…though now, he actually has my permission to do so'_ he thought, remembering his vow. _"Alright Lelouch, how do we pull this off?" _Suzaku asked, now determined to do just as he promised.

Lelouch snapped out of his happy mood immediately, his expression indicating the plans that were being made in his head. Suddenly, the sound of a Knightmare's land spinners echoed as its pilot saw the figures of two teens in the ghetto. Suddenly, a perfected plan presented itself in Lelouch's head and he dragged Suzaku along as he stepped into the open.

"Lelouch! What do you think you're doing?" sputtered Suzaku, confused by Lelouch's actions.

"Just **trust me** on this, Suzaku!" Lelouch whispered. "And it's probably not a good idea to speak in Japanese in front of that soldier. Just follow my lead!"

Suzaku nodded hesitantly, still wondering what Lelouch was up to. _'Lelouch never does anything without a plan and I vowed to serve him less than an hour ago, I should trust him, trust my first and best friend' _He thought.

* * *

Inside the knightmare, Knight Villetta Nu was surprised when the two figures that were hiding in an abandoned building stepped into the open. She was even more shocked when the one of the two figures turned out to be an eleven boy wearing a soldier's uniform, probably an Honorary Britannian. Along side him was another teenager, a schoolboy, as his uniform indicated, from the Tokyo Settlement. 'But why's the boy trapped in the Shinjuku Ghetto during school hours? And why hasn't the Honorary Britannian disposed of him like the orders indicated?' Villetta wondered.

Lelouch, staring at the knightmare frame, activated his geass and commanded. " Get down from there, right now!"

Inside the cockpit of the knightmare, Villetta was outraged by the pure distain coming from Lelouch's voice. 'Why you little…." Villetta steamed, firing a round from the Knightmare's assault riffle. When the boy barely seemed phased, she pressed the loudspeaker button and demanded "Who are you! Answer me!"

When his order failed to work, Lelouch mildly panicked for a bit before realizing. 'Damn, it must need eye contact' Unfazed by the pilot's commands, he quickly made up a back story to save both him and Suzaku.

Shouting so that the pilot could hear, he said "I'm Alan Spencer, and my father's a duke. I was meeting some people here and I got caught in the crossfire. This useless eleven couldn't do anything to get me out of here, so I'm requesting protection. There's I.D. in my front pocket if you need to see it. When my father hears about this, I'm sure you'll be properly rewarded!" Lelouch was pretty pleased with himself, having made up a believable story and shooting a look of distain at Suzaku for safe measure.

Suzaku's mouth dropped open a little bit before he realized what was going on and closed it. _'Lelouch must be trying to get the pilot out so he can use his geass!' _he deduced.

Sitting in the cockpit, Villetta couldn't believe her luck. To think she ended up saving a duke's son in a ghetto where all she could hope for was a good performance review from Jeremiah! 'The recommendation of a duke could go a long way in making me a baroness!' she thought. With small suspicions, she lowered herself outside to see the boy.

"Keep your hands up! I'll get the I.D. from your pocket." Villetta commanded, forcing herself to act professional. As she approached the boy, however, she saw a disturbingly satisfied look dawn his face. The last thing she remembered was that bone-chilling grin before her world turned black.

* * *

From Lelouch's point of view, it was a piece of cake to get Villetta under his command. All he had to say was "follow my orders" and she turned into a willing slave. Calling Suzaku over, he wondered how he would be able to get his hands on another Knightmare frame.

Suddenly, the radio at Villetta's waist crackled and the sound of a worried soldier rang out into the opening. "Villetta… Villetta! Where are you? Don't just dash off by you self, you idiot! You better be glad that I covered for you!" the man said annoyed.

'This is perfect!' Lelouch thought, whispering to Villetta. "Pretend you've discovered something, but make sure that the man comes alone with his knightmare."

"K-Kewell…" Villetta said, under the spell of geass "I-I've found something really important, but it's essential that you come alone, others can't find out about this until…I'll tell you when you get here. Just make sure Jeremiah doesn't find out about this."

"Villetta…" Kewell trailed off, sounding worried "Alright, but you have to tell me what's going on with you when I get there"

"Just **trust** me, Kewell" Villetta insisted.

* * *

In a different section of the Shinjuku Ghetto, a man with flopping orange hair disconnected his radio and sighed in his cockpit. 'This damn one sided crush will get me killed on day' he thought, making up some excuse of checking on something and preparing to find Villetta.

Reaching the other side of the ghetto, after eliminating some of the Elevens who were smart enough to flee, he approached the building where Villetta's Knightmare was. To his surprise, he found Villetta crouching next to two figures, both seeming to be teenagers who had gotten knocked out. As he descended from his knightmare frame, grabbed his gun and ran towards Villetta, he got a feeling that something bad was going to happen. Suppressing his worry, he ran towards Villetta, not spotting the Britannian teen who opened his bewitched eye until it was too late.

* * *

Suzaku, who had been ordered to lie down and act dead, opened his eyes as soon as he heard Lelouch command the man, Kewell, to follow his commands. _'This better be useful, Lelouch, for you to use geass right after I objected to it'_ he thought.

As if sensing Suzaku's thoughts, Lelouch apologized mentally, not really willing to do it out loud. 'Sorry, Suzaku, but it's got to be done…it's better than killing them…' he convinced himself. Out loud, however, he just commanded coldly. "Give me all your weapons and your knightmares and forget all about me and Suzaku"

The two soldiers flipped their guns around, offering the handle, took their knightmare keys out and revealed the passwords. Grinning, Lelouch pocketed one of the guns and knightmare keys while he threw the other to Suzaku, who managed to catch them in spite of being a little shocked.

"Hey, Lelouch, have you even piloted a knightmare before? What are we going do with them?" Suzaku asked.

"Suzaku, my mother isn't called Marianne the Flash for nothing." Lelouch said, "She was one of the best knightmare pilots Britannia ever had, so I was around knightmares until I was banished. Even if I didn't inherit her talent, I know my way around a knightmare." he claimed. "Besides, the Ashford family kept the Ganymede after her death and I've used it occasionally, so don't worry about it!"

Suzaku was a little worried, the thought of Lelouch in a knightmare didn't exactly fit the image of him he had, but decided to stop thinking about it. _'If Lelouch is as good as he claims, he'll be fine. I got top marks in the simulators, so let's just hope that piloting a real knightmare isn't much harder…'_

Lelouch walked towards Villetta's knightmare and motioned for Suzaku to follow his lead and take Kewell's. In his hand were a black knight and a black king from an abandoned chessboard he had found while waiting for Kewell. 'Now, big brother Clovis, the board has been set, so let us play chess again once more. I wonder if you've improved at all these last seven years…' he thought, grinning widely.

* * *

A/N: Wow, the story is finally moving along! And thus Villetta and Kewell have been used! Lelouch and Suzaku is now set! The next chapter will be a lot longer, I promise! Like I've said before, I'm now going to stop posting for a week, so hopefully, I'll be able to post by Sunday the 30th, after my last exam. While you wait for me to post (wow, that sounds kinda arrogant :P), feel free to check out the community I made, it's called Code Geass:Revolutionary, and it has, in my opinion, some of the most well written stories in the Code Geass fandom! ^_^ *shamelessly brags*

Onto a more serious topic…how do you guys think I did on this chapter? Were the characters a little too OOC? I thought I didn't do a really good job describing Lelouch and Suzaku, but tell me if it felt weird to you guys too!

Also, I thought I should ask if anyone thought the switching back and forth between English and Japanese was disorientating. The reason I decide to mark the difference between the two languages was to show the differences between the Japanese and the Britannians in the story. In CG, it seemed that there weren't any differences, since everyone spoke in the same language (or maybe they just didn't know how to show the difference) and used honorifics, which is something that should be specific to the Japanese, so the only real difference there was skin colour (maybe that was on purpose, I don't really know ==") That really bothered me, since it made no sense for the Japanese to speak English except to maintain appearance and everyone just seemed to be bilingual. What do you guys think?


	6. Step 6: Rebel

Hey everyone! This is manga-otaku here, back from finals earlier than expected! I've still got one last hurdle to pass though, my Biology 12 provincial worth 40% of my mark, so I will probably update after the 28th next time! For those who don't know what provincials are, they're like Canadian SATs, except probably a little easier…maybe… :P

So far there's been 2197 hits, 995 viewers, 22 alerts, 21 review, and 13 favs! THANKS GUYS!

A shout out to sakurahanaalice, the grey company, tiara-keimei, and ragez for reviewing!

NOW, ON WITH THE EXTRA LONG CHAPTER! ^_^

* * *

Last time:

_Lelouch walked towards Villetta's knightmare and motioned for Suzaku to follow his lead and take Kewell's. In his hand were a black knight and a black king from an abandoned chessboard he had found while waiting for Kewell. 'Now, big brother Clovis, the board has been set, so let us play chess again once more. I wonder if you've improved at all these last seven years…' he thought, grinning widely._

* * *

Step 6: Rebel

2017 a.t.b.

Shinjuku Ghetto, Area 11

As Lelouch and Suzaku approached the two knightmares, both boys swallowed and gathered up their courage. This would be their first real attempt at fighting Britannia, and if it worked, it would be the first of many. Both were prepared to walk the path of blood and betrayal, to live a lie until their goals were achieved, if ever. As Suzaku entered the knightmare, he thought _'Alright Kururugi, time to fight for what you believed in directly. No more hiding behind the fact that you can't do anything alone because this time, you're not! Believe in Lelouch even if you don't believe in yourself. Act like a samurai acting on the will of his master.'_

Lelouch on the other hand, had different things to wonder about 'Hmmm, the enemy is Clovis…If my memory serves me, he was always the flamboyant one, sacrificing almost everything for the sake of appearance. This is probably one of his infamous hissy fits over the toy he lost.' Lelouch thought, anger building up within him 'What happened to you, brother? To sacrifice the lives of so many innocent civilians for the sake of a girl…your temper has only gotten worse over the years, it seems.'

Climbing into the cockpit, Lelouch turned on a private frequency that he and Suzaku had decided on. It was true that they could have just taken the radios that Villetta and Kewell had, but Lelouch had decided that it would be more useful to leave a way of contacting them. _"Suzaku, wait for a few minutes while I call my friends at Ashford Academy. I need to know about the general conception of this mission and figure out an excuse for myself just in case we take too long with this. Afterwards, we'll try to get the terrorists on our side, but seeing how one sided this is now, it won't be a problem." _Lelouch said calmly, acting like a commander.

In the other knightmare, Suzaku was slightly amazed at the sudden change in Lelouch's voice. _'Guess he's a real leader at heart, that Lelouch' _he thought, before acknowledging that he heard the transmission.

Lelouch nodded to himself, knowing that Suzaku couldn't possibly see or hear it. Silently, he pulled out his cell phone that had almost gotten him killed 30 minutes ago and dialled a number. After a few rings, he heard Shirley pick up.

"Lulu? Why are you calling now? Where are you? You know, you'll get held back a year if you keep ditching like this no matter how smart you are!" Shirley said in her prim voice.

Lelouch sighed mentally, he was already holding back his irritation at her for calling earlier and he had no time for idle chitchat. "Are you around a TV?" he said, slightly crossed.

"A TV?" Shirley asked.

"Sorry" Lelouch apologized, reining in irritation, "it's kind of important."

Shirley sighed loudly, quickly walking toward the miniature TV her friends were watching. "Geez, just a moment…" she clipped her cell phone onto her ear and asked her friends.

"Sorry, can I borrow that for a moment? Thanks!" Lelouch heard her say

"OK, Lelouch" Shirley said. "What do you need?"

Lelouch quickly replied. "The news" hearing her surprise, he continued "Is there anything about the Shinjuku Ghetto?"

"Ehhh?" Shirley asked, confused by why Lelouch would ask about a ghetto. "Hmm…nothing except that there's some traffic jams there, why?"

"The reason for the traffic jams?" Lelouch asked

"I don't know, Lulu, it doesn't really say that on the report…Why ask?" Shirley asked, curious. "You're not gambling again, are you? I told you already, it's dangerous!" she said in a criticizing tone.

"Yeah, I know…" Lelouch replied, appreciating her concern and deflected " Oh, tell Nunnally that I'll probably be home late, OK? Bye!" he said kindly before hanging up.

On the other end, Shirley was surprised when Lelouch suddenly hung up on her. She had barley gotten the chance to say OK! 'That Lulu…' she seethed, 'I should teach him a thing or two about manners!'

Miles away, Lelouch had more serious things to think about 'Hmmm, the fact that they aren't talking about the fight now would mean that the army's going to make an announcement later, probably covering what ever happens by blaming it on the terrorists. I'll be willing to bet they're going to say something about the terrorists releasing the supposed poison gas to boost public support. There's probably nothing that could be done at this point except gathering proof that it was a slaughter by the army. In any case, it's more important now to stop the army'

Thinking about this, Lelouch asked Suzaku to blend into the army's platoons and catch the injustice on film. 'Even if we don't end up using the footage, this will strengthen Suzaku's resolve' he thought.

* * *

In the other knightmare, Suzaku was furious after hearing Lelouch's deduction about how the military will use this event as a propaganda tool. _'I can't believe the army would do this, concealing the truth to suit themselves. I wonder what else I've been lied to about!' _he raged as he pretended to be a Britannian private who had been distracted by escaping civilians. Having been the son of the prime minister, the best friend of Lelouch and Nunnally along with the years he spent as a Honorary Britannian had made him practically bilingual. The only way to tell him apart from other Britannians was the slight accent he had, but through the radio, it was impossible to hear that clearly.

As he followed his "commander", he forced himself to swallow the bile that was pooling in his mouth, all the while capturing all the atrocities being committed on film. The only thing that he could hear was the screams of women and children, their crying and then deafening sound of machine guns, silencing all and bringing the bone chilling silence that accompanied the death. Closing his eyes tightly, staying put and not acting was the hardest thing he could do. His heart broke as the squad turned a corner, coming face to face with a girl, barely seven years old, holding her rabbit stuffy and crying over the corpse that used to be her mother.

As the other knightmares raised their machine guns to eliminate the girl, Suzaku finally snapped. _"How dare you do this! That's an innocent girl you're murdering!" _he yelled out, forgetting to speak in English in his rage. He rushed forward, using his stun tonfas to engage the closest 2 Sutherlands who were about to fire.

The other members of his squad all turned to look at him as soon as he started yelling in Japanese. Unable to act quickly, the two pilots were forced to eject as Suzaku's slash harkens pierced their chest armour.

The other knightmares, seeing Suzaku eliminating 2 of their comrades, all shifted into a battle pose, ready to engage at their commander's commands. Before doing so, though, the commander demanded, "Who are you! How did an eleven get their hands on a Britannian weapon, a Sutherland no less!"

Suzaku wasn't polite enough to answer. Semi blinded by his rage, he attacked, attacked and kept attacking. As he charged, two of the three remaining Sutherlands rose up to his attack. Swerving to the left, Suzaku dodged the rain of automatic gunfire while using his slash harkens to hold the other knightmare in place while he rushed towards it at full speed with the fist of the knightmare aimed at it's head. After disabling its factsphere sensor, he grabbed the limbs of the knightmare, spinning it around and using it as a shield against the second round of gunfire.

Dropping the now disabled knightmare, Suzaku then aimed his own assault rifle at the other knightmare's land spinners, causing the knightmare to tilt backwards, vulnerable to his slash harkens. As the second knightmare stumbled and fell, Suzaku redirected his attention to the now stunned commander. Suzaku calmly directed his gaze towards the commander, now answering the question he had been asked just five minutes ago. "I will not tell you who I am, but what I am. Once stung, twice as deadly, as they say, and I have been stung many, MANY times by Britannia." He declared, adrenaline pumping through him. "I am the avenger of Japan, and I will take this victory as the first of many! Eject now, and I will refrain from attacking. If not, I will engage."

"M-Monster!" the commander sputtered, recalling how Suzaku had taken out four of his squad mates without even seeming to break a sweat. Reaching out with his shaking hand, he pulled the ejection lever in his knightmare, all the while saying "I will withdraw for now, but you WILL be defeated! All hail Britannia!"

In his knightmare, Suzaku looked back at the child who was now trying to hide behind her mother, glaring at him with hateful eyes, eyes Suzaku had seen too many times in the mirror growing up. Pressing the broadcasting button, Suzaku spoke in Japanese, trying to comfort the child. _"It's ok now, everything's fine. Go hide for the moment being, I'll come back for you after I deal with this." _

The young girl's eyes widened, her tears ceasing for a moment. Almost immediately, however, she snapped out of it and said with scorn in her voice _"Shut up! What do you everything is fine! My mom is DEAD because of you guys. All you Honorary Britannians who betrayed their country for the sake of a better life are better off dead than alive! Just kill me already…I've already lost everything dear to me. I've got nothing left now, nothing left but revenge! DO IT!"_

Inside his knightmare, Suzaku winced at the hate directed towards him. _'Revenge, huh? That sounds so familiar…' _Out loud, Suzaku replied_ "I'm not an Honorary Britannian!" 'At least, not anymore' _he amended in his head. _"I'm fighting for Japan! Your mother would have never wanted you to die, and a life dedicated to revenge is no life at all. For now, just live! I promise you that before you feel the urge to take action, me and my comrades will have engaged Britannia!" _

The girl shook her head, unwilling to listen to such promises. They were the same things her father used to say, before he came back home in a coffin. _'He had a point though'_ she thought. '_For now, I'll live, like mom would have wanted me to.' _Without acknowledging Suzaku's words, she wiped away her tears with her sleeve and took a deep breath before running away as fast as she could, running towards the shelter her mother had shown her.

Suzaku watched the girl run, making no effort to chase her. _'All I can hope for is that she can learn to forgive those who have wronged her…and that I can live up to my promise.' _He thought, radioing Lelouch to tell him what had happened.

* * *

15 minutes earlier

Shinjuku Ghetto, Area 11

Lelouch watched Suzaku's knightmare join a squad without a hitch before he left, making sure that Suzaku would have had support in case of a fight. Now hiding behind a cement building, Lelouch activated his IFF transponder and started to plan. 'As long as the situation is hidden from the commanders, it's going to be hard to know how much reinforcement to send. In other words, these will be all the pieces on the board, but even so, it's going to be hard defeating them with just the few terrorists that will join me…In any case, I'll grant them victory for reuniting me with Suzaku and giving me that final push to join the fight.' He thought, reaching for the radio which was broadcasting static.

* * *

Close to where Lelouch was hiding, a familiar red headed girl was fighting in her red Glasgow, shooting her slash harkens at a passing army helicopter and pausing to look behind her just in time to see two Sutherlands, lead by Jeremiah, the head of the purist unit, himself. Biting her tongue and swallowing the fact that she couldn't fight two more advanced models with one arm, Kallen grimaced and backed off, heading in the other direction in an attempt to loose them. Just as her spirits were recovering, her knightmare beeped and the ominous warning of low energy levels blinked before her. _'Crap, only 30 more minutes left!' _Kallen thought as her radio crackled.

"_The west exit!" _a mysterious voice exclaimed.

Incredulous, the only thing that Kallen could say was an eloquent _"Eh?"_

The voice seemed to ignore her confusion and continued on. _"Use the railroad and head to the west exit!"_

Angry at being ignored and following an unknown person's orders, Kallen couldn't help but snap back _"Who is this? How did you find this frequency?"_

The voice seemed unfazed by her anger, only saying_ "It doesn't matter! You can win this if you believe in me,"_

In her cockpit, Kallen could only whisper _"Win?" _that word seemed so foreign to her, especially in the condition she was in. Could she dare to hope that the voice was telling her the truth?

As Kallen reached the railway tracts, she jumped on, deciding that she didn't have anything to loose, she replied_ "Oi! What should now?" _she demanded, eyeing the two Sutherlands that had followed her. Her desperation increased as she say a speeding train approach her. Just as she was about to give up hope, the voice finally responded.

"_For trusting me, I shall grant you victory. Jump on the train!" the voice commanded._

"_Understood." _Kallen replied, not sure how doing so would help her. She could only watch as one of the two knightmares stop the train while the other leaped over it, ready to pursue her. Suddenly, a pair of slash harkens appeared, coming from a distant building and piecing the knightmare and pushing it off the tracks. Kallen could only stare in amazement while the hidden owner of both the voice and the slash harkens rained bullets onto the second Sutherland, disabling it's land spinners and buying her enough time to rush towards the enemy only for him to eject and escape.

Kallen grinned, happy that she had forced back at least on of the knightmares. As she directed her sights to the building, trying to offer her thanks to the mysterious voice, she was dumbfounded when there wasn't a human trace to be found. _'Damn voice, who are you?'_ was the only thing her mind processed before she noticed her comrades reaching her, carrying missile launchers and rifles. As they approached, Kallen heard them start yelling.

"_Hey Kallen-chan, what was that transmission just now?" _asked the man with the puffy black hairdo, seemingly the leader of the small resistance group trailing just behind him.

"_Ougi-san!" _Kallen exclaimed, both glad that her brother's best friend had survived and surprised that he knew of the voice. _"You heard it too?"_ she asked.

"Yeah, we all did!" Ougi replied, receiving nods from the rest of his group. "Yoshitaka and his group should be joining us soon too!"

Suddenly, the radio Ougi was holding crackled out _"Are you the leader?"_

Responding immediately to the mysterious voice that had ordered them here, Ougi confirmed _"Y-Yeah, I am."_

The voice didn't hesitate before replying_. "I'll give you what's inside that train as a present. Use them as tools to win. If you want to use them, follow my orders." _It commanded.

Curious, the terrorist followed their instructions and opened the cargo containers of the train. To their surprise, the first container held two gleaming Sutherlands, fresh off the assembly line. Gasping, they rushed to open all the containers, finding a total of eleven Sutherlands. Eyes wide, Kallen could only wonder _'How on Earth did he…' _before the voice interrupted her thoughts.

"_You there in the red Glasgow, stay there! That knightmare is geared towards disturbance tactics." _

Surprised, Kallen could only reply_ "A-Alright"_

The voice continued,_ "How are your energy filer levels?"_

"_There's only about 15 minutes left" _Kallen answered

"_Then refill it! I'll start sending out new orders in 10 minutes, be prepared then" _the voice said before signing off, leaving a group of stunned terrorists in it's wake.

* * *

In the high cement building, Lelouch fiddled with his school uniform's collar, loosening it so that he could act more freely. 'Ugg, this is more tiring that I thought it would be!' he thought 'Nevertheless, I have to see this through to the end. This isn't a game, there are lives at stake here so I can't just quit. I can't help but be relieved that everything is going as planned. I wonder how Suzaku's fairing?'

Just at that moment, his radio fizzed and Suzaku's voice rang out. _"Lelouch…Lelouch, you there?"_

Raising his eyebrows at his friend's slightly tired voice, Lelouch replied_ "I'm here, Suzaku. How did the recording go? I'm sorry I had you do such a horrible job." _He said, his voice full of sympathy.

"I-I" Suzaku stuttered, slightly embarrassed "Sorry Lelouch, but I kinda went off track a few minutes ago. I couldn't help but act when they were about to kill a seven year old right in front of my eyes! She just reminded my of Nunnally so much, I attacked without even thinking about it. Don't worry though, I got the footage and took apart a whole squad of knightmares to boot!" he assured Lelouch.

Lelouch's eyes opened a little bit as he digested the information. Of course, he wasn't mad at Suzaku, he still had a heart, after all, but he was surprised that Suzaku would and, more importantly, COULD take care of so many Sutherlands at once. 'Maybe he's the ace in the hole I was hoping for…and the girl in the Glasgow showed promise too. Just my luck that I happen to find two ace pilots in one day.' He thought.

Straitening up metaphorically, he concentrated at creating a plan while ordering Suzaku _"It's fine, Suzaku, don't worry about it! Head towards the west exit of the Shinjuku Ghetto along the railway. I've convinced the terrorists to join up with me, but you'll be a big help in assuring them that I'm not going to just ditch them at some point. They're equipping themselves with Sutherlands that I got Villetta to summon and I told them that I'd give them new orders soon, so hurry up."_

Suzaku's voice replied_ "Alright Lelouch! Make sure they don't try to shoot me on sight" _he joked.

Lelouch laughed and returned to his plotting, 'Hmmm…If I send two knightmares there…'

* * *

10 minutes later

Shinjuku Ghetto, Area 11

Seeing a lone Sutherland heading towards them, the terrorists, now inside their own Sutherlands except for Kallen, cocked their guns, ready to test out their new weapons. Suddenly, the voice rang out in their cockpits. _"Don't engage, I repeat, don't engage. The pilot of the Sutherland is one of my allies and has come to help us out!"_

For most of the terrorists, this was a leap of faith. They had wondered weather or not to accept the Sutherlands being offered and some of them, especially Tamaki, weren't too keen on trusting a voice. Things were about to get ugly when Ougi had spoken up, saying that there wasn't a reason not to trust the voice. If it was telling the truth, they could claim victory. If it wasn't, well, they would have been dead anyways. Following their leader, they had climbed onto the Sutherlands, but they were all suspicious, wondering how someone could get their hands on so many knightmares.

In the end, the terrorists' faith in their leader had won out and they lowered their guns, allowing the slightly battered Sutherland to join their group.

The voice returned _"Good, it seems that all of you have decided to join me for now. Now, to thank you for your loyalty, I will give you victory!"_

* * *

Viceroy's base

Shinjuku Ghetto, Area 11

General Bradley barked out orders, commanding the entire Britannian army sent out to the Shinjuku Ghetto. He was understandably nervous, this being the last chance he would likely have of earning his right to live. 'Britannia doesn't tolerate weaklings' had been the first thing he had been taught as a child and now that he had make no less than two mistakes in front of a Britannian prince, the son of the man who embodied Britannia's philosophy, he knew not to expect another chance. Using a handkerchief to whip the sweat off of his forehead, he turned to report to the prince himself.

"Your Highness, the terrorists in Shinjuku are putting up a resistance, but it is hardly a threat to our superior forces!" he said.

Clovis la Britannia did nothing but lay his face onto his propped up hand, currently bored out of his mind. "Of course they aren't, General Bradley" he said lazily. "More importantly, what's the situation with the girl?"

General Bradley gulped, he was hoping Clovis wouldn't ask that. Trying to bluff his way through, he said "T-The situation is unknown, your Highness, but I suspect that she has been killed already seeing as more than half the civilian population had been exterminated. None of the Elevens would have wanted to save her, seeing as she looks to be of either Britannian or European descent, so it is likely that she would have been gunned down, already having been sedated. Forces will be sent out after this mission to retrieve her, mostly Honorary Britannians who can be silenced afterwards."

Clovis's eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't make a scene, it would be both improper conduct and a show of weakness in front of his subordinates, and that would never do. Staying in his relaxed position, he merely commanded "Alright, General Bradley, continue on with the mission. But make sure not only half, but all of the Elevens are eliminated. We don't want a stray sympathetic Eleven to accidentally find her, do we?"

General Bradley mentally sighed, relieved to have gotten away with his mistakes, and returned to the command centre's large IFF transponder. To his surprise, his advisors seemed to have worked themselves into a fury of activity, firing of rapid commands and discussing tactics.

"The enemy had taken out Harold's squad!" one of the supervisors relayed "Jeremiah and his subordinate seems to have been attacked too!"

"Tell Carol's group to head towards that direction!" Bradley ordered, wondering how seven Sutherlands could have been defeated by a rebel force with only one wounded Glasgow.

Suddenly, the three blue figures disappeared off the IFF transponder, leaving 'LOST' banners.

Now slightly worried, Bradley ordered "Lazarus troops…No, tell Gruber to hurry up!"

In his chair, Clovis's head perked up, wondering what had caused the sudden uproar. Studying the IFF transponder for the first time in this battle, he was shocked by what he saw, almost a dozen lost signals could be seen, clumping around two areas, one which was currently growing. Amazed, he couldn't help but wonder out loud "No way, our army's being manipulated by the terrorists?"

Suddenly, another 'LOST' signal appeared. "Gruber had ejected! The signal had been lost!" a technician exclaimed.

Now sweating bullets, General Bradley barked out "Switch the signal, we're being intercepted!"

A technician replied "We've done that already! Four times"

Panicked, Bradley could only say "W-Well…do it again!"

Clovis stood up, no longer amused by situation and declared "Disgraceful! You call yourselves part of the Holy Britannian Army!"

Bradley bowed quickly, muttering "I-I'm sorry, Your Highness!"

Suddenly, a message broadcasted itself onto the front of the command center. A man with light purple hair and wired framed glasses peered at the room, grinning. "Hello all!" He announced

Most of the strategists looked upwards, shooting an annoyed glare at the man. "What are you doing, Earl Aspund! Don't you see that we're in the middle of a war council right now?"

Lloyd snickered and continued on "Well… I was thinking of making a new type of troop available…" he trailed off.

Clovis approached the screen and pressed the button to end the call, but not before saying "Now's not the time for that!"

The sound coming from the IFF transponder drew everyone's attention as the four symbols representing Lazarus's troops disappeared. Furious, Clovis approached the tactics table, commanding "Now, send in Quincy's group!"

Stunned, General Bradley weakly protested "B-But Your Highness! That would break the formation!"

"Don't worry about it!" Clovis said dismissively, "We'll definitely catch the terrorists there!"

Sighing, General Bradley did as he was told, sending in all of their troops into the attack zone.

Clovis grinned, confident that he had captured the terrorists when, all of a sudden, the symbols of Sutherlands converged, leaving no room for where the terrorists were supposed to be. Almost immediately afterwards, a circle of devastation stroke the Britannian forces, wiping out almost all of the knightmares deployed. Clovis's eyes widened is shock as he stepped back, wonder who could have been the mastermind of this battle 'Who could it possibly be? This man may even be superior to the Miraculous Todoh!'

* * *

5 minutes earlier

Shinjuku Ghetto, Area 11

Lelouch's brain was in danger of being exhausted, and knowing the genius teen, that was saying something. As he frantically gave orders, his mind recreated the Shinjuku Ghetto into a chessboard with the knightmares as the chess pieces. Ordering the small group of terrorists had been taxing, constantly giving out separate orders and responding to both questions and comments from all five groups. All of this had to be done in Japanese too, a language that wasn't quite second nature to Lelouch. Although he knew enough of the language, having picked it up at the Kururugi Shrine, to converse casually, but giving out orders was another story as he tried to avoid tactical terms he didn't know.

Lelouch was glad that the terrorists had been receptive to his orders. He had proven himself an adequate leader when he ordered Ougi along with his comrades to fire at a wall. Without IFF transponders equipped onto their knightmares, it was impossible for them to deduce that there were enemy Sutherlands on the other side. Lelouch had purposely chose the order for that purpose, to test the terrorists' ability to follow orders without understanding them. One of them, Tamaki a.k.a P-5, had failed the test horribly, while others like Ougi a.k.a D-1 had passed with brilliant colours. Lelouch could only assume that Ougi, being in a position of leadership, understood that some orders shouldn't be understood, just obeyed. Luckily, this had earned him the trust, albeit grudgingly, of the terrorists. They had done just as he commanded, and he had been able to direct them magnificently, just a general would his trusted soldiers.

As the last of the enemy Sutherlands close to the west exit had been defeated, Lelouch was at last granted a moment to let his brain rest and ponder what his opponent will do next. In his head, he had concluded there could be five possible moves and had started planed on setting up traps when the enemy had finally acted. To his utter amazement, Clovis had picked the worst move possible, sending the rest of his Sutherlands in a direct assault on the west exit, trying to trap them in a surrounding formation. While only grinned, him mind was cruelly mocking his plans, formulating a trap with the map Kallen, a.k.a Q-1, had provided. Clovis had made a huge mistake and Lelouch would never let him live it down.

Sending all the terrorists into the subways, they escaped the enclosing circle of knightmares with Suzaku leading and Kallen guarding the back. Just as the blue dots conjugated at the center of his screen, Lelouch had given Kallen the order to aim her slash harkens towards the roof of the subways, breaking the already weak infrastructure and causing the entire area around the enemy Sutherlands to collapse, trapping and crushing every knightmare. Ecstatic that his plan worked so well, Lelouch cackle evilly, with a sneer on his face as he declared "With this, dear brother, I call check!"

* * *

Viceroy's Base

Shinjuku Ghetto, Area 11

Clovis slammed his fist onto the table, furious that a mere terrorist group had bested him so completely, and without loosing even a single member. The only thing the troops were able to report before being eliminated was that the terrorists had somehow gotten their hands onto the army's knightmare technology. Watching all of his subordinated argue and run around like headless chickens, he wondered hopelessly if there was anything that could save him from his father's wrath at this devastating defeat. Recalling Lloyd's offer of a new weapon, he quickly ordered General Bradley to call the Camelot headquarters.

* * *

Camelot Headquarters

Shinjuku Ghetto, Area 11

Lloyd sat back on his chair, grinning slightly while listening to Cecile rant about the importance of politeness in front of royalty, especially since they were the ones to fund his project. Of course, this information went in one ear and out the other, but he knew that if he had just ignored her, she would have restricted his access to his beloved pudding and he might have even been forced to eat her new creations, something which would have sent him strait to the hospital.

Cecile Croomy, being Lloyd's personal assistant and self appointed conscience, stopped her lecture as soon as she saw Lloyd's attention direct itself onto something other than her. Irritated, she started yelling to get him to notice her, all the while wondering how on the world she had found herself assisting this irrational madman.

Trying to calm his frustrated assistant down, he said in his tilting voice "Now, now, there's no need to raise you voice! Besides, His Highness doesn't truly get offended, or else I would have been demoted a looong time ago. I wonder what's going on today that's getting his knickers in a knot though…" he trailed off, suddenly yelping in pain as Cecile yanked his ear.

Just as Cecile was about to start on another one of her rants, the video screen activated, showing the face of Clovis. Stunned, she loosened her grip on Lloyd's ear and bowed, about to apologize for Lloyd's behaviour yet again. Before she had a chance to speak, however, Clovis spoke.

"Earl Aspund, will your toy be able to turn the tides on this battle?" he snapped.

Smiling knowingly, Lloyd became serious and said calmly "Your Highness, please call it the Lancelot."

Cecile's mouth dropped as she watched Lloyd deactivate the video chat and turn around. 'Just like that idiot…to assure such things when we don't even have a decent pilot!' she thought, voicing the same concern out loud, omitting the idiot part, of course.

Lloyd didn't even seem to be phased when Cecile asked who was going to pilot his precious creation. Calmly, he ordered his assistants to grab Tom Harris, the only devicer able to even shift the Lancelot. Of course, at a 75% sync rate, the results were mediocre at best, but even at that level, the Lancelot was superior to the Sutherlands the terrorists had captured. Besides, if the Lancelot was even able to effect the situation at all, not only would he have precious field data, but he could possibly encourage the prince to allow his soldiers to be run through it, getting him a better part for his precious machine!

Sighing, Cecile accepted her boss' decision, preparing the Lancelot and bringing out the pilot's uniform. Just as everything was finished, she turned around to see a dishevelled and confused soldier being lead towards the launch zone. Trying to settle the poor pilot, she explained the situation and sent him off the boarding zone. Watching his walk towards the Lancelot, she heard Lloyd haphazardly warn Tom that the Lancelot hadn't been fitted with an ejection system. Mentally sighing for the tenth time that day, she counted down the launch and saw the Lancelot blast out of sight after some wobbling. Ignoring Lloyd's protests about Tom's apparently unsatisfactory launch she prayed for his safety, and the Lancelot's, if only so that she didn't have to deal with Lloyd afterwards.

* * *

Lancelot's Cockpit

Shinjuku Ghetto, Area 11

Sitting in his now accelerating knightmare, Tom Harris heaved a sigh. Only ten minutes ago, he was sitting in the army's mess hall, joking around with his buddies on his day off duty. He recalled how two soldiers had shown up, stopping at his table and requesting his presence at the A.S.E.E.C. headquarters, the place with the kind assistant and crazy earl as his memory recalled. Wondering what they could possibly want, he had hesitantly left his friends only to be pushed onto the Lancelot since there seemed to be an emergency at Shinjuku Ghetto. Now he was heading to a target zone, where there was a number of Sutherland equipped terrorists just waiting for him. 'God, this better get me a raise or a promotion!' he thought.

Speeding away, his two factspheres registered three Sutherlands, openly defending their newly acquired territory, and at that sight, Tom extracted his Maser Vibrations Sword to cut the first knightmare into two like a knife into butter. As the two Sutherlands responded to the sudden attack, he activated his Blaze Luminous system, deflecting all bullets and clumsily launched two of his Slash Harkens, knocking out both of the knightmares. Sweating at the exertion it took to pilot the Lancelot, he speed forwards, heading deeper into unknown terrain.

* * *

Sitting in his cockpit, Lelouch was congratulating himself on his flawless victory against the Britannian troops when the B group reported the sighting of a lone knightmare. Wondering if it was reinforcements, he demanded a report and what had happened next caught his attention. 'A sole knightmare, a new design, by the way the others described it, able to block bullets! Hmm…it seems that Clovis had a secret weapon hidden away. I should probably send Q-1 and Suzaku to face it just in case it's more powerful than I expect it to be.' He decided. Out loud, he commanded _"Q-1, head towards where the B group was stationed. The enemy seems to have deployed a newly created knightmare frame that is able to block bullets. Be cautious and report back when you see it! I'll also send N-1 there so don't act until he gets there."_

After a few seconds, he received a reply, _"Roger, I'm on it!"_

Tapping on his interface, Lelouch contacted Suzaku and repeated the same orders. After he received confirmation, he sat back, waiting patiently as he watched the two knightmare frames approached the unknown knightmare on his screen. It was a good thing that he had called back the other terrorists as he soon realized. The three units who stubbornly refused to budge had been mowed down, albeit not without a small struggle, taken down by Britannian's mysterious knightmare.

He sighed a sigh of relieve when he saw both Q-1 and Suzaku meet up where the knightmare was. He had stationed the rest of the terrorist in separate buildings around the area, acting as support and backup, but he was certain that if his two aces were unable to take care of the white knightmare, he would have no choice but to send all the others in and try to overwhelm it with seer numbers. The back up plan was a weak one, he could admit, since the knightmare's technology seems to be able to best any direct strategy, although by the reports of the hidden terrorist, it's pilot seemed average at best.

* * *

Speeding towards the scene, Suzaku wondered about the unidentified white knightmare that seemed to be able to not only deflect bullets, but also cut strait through the Sutherland's armour. Seeing the red Glasgow Lelouch had commanded him to meet up with, he activated his communications, tapping in the signal Lelouch had given him. Using the cheesy chess reference Lelouch had supplied, he said, _"Q-1, this is N-1. I've spotted you and will proceed to approach you. Hold your fire until we have orders!"_

Kallen, who was surprised at the broadcast replied _"Roger that, but tell your friend to hurry up!"_

Just as Suzaku was about to reply, Lelouch interrupted them, _"Alright Q-1, N-1, your target is the white knightmare that took down the B group. The knightmare seems to be a new frame, probably having just been introduced, equipped with a sword that can slice right through a knightmare's armour and a mysterious green shield that can deflect bullets. The pilot himself doesn't seem to be very impressive, but the technology more than makes up for it. All other groups are stationed around you and will provide support. I want you guys to distract the frame and hold it steady while the others can take out its landspinners and hopefully it's legs too. I want you guys to cover each other since both of you have shown combat abilities above all the others. Good luck and I'll radio in if the situation changes."_

Both knightmare pilots acknowledged the order, nodding to each other and watching each other's backs. Kallen was wondering about the abilities of her partner, but seeing has the voice had been right on the dot every single time, she supposed that she could trust it, at least for now.

Both knightmares approached the knightmare cautiously, Suzaku leading. As Suzaku drew the white knightmare's attention, Kallen snuck towards it from a different angle. Launching her slash harkens, she aimed at the knightmare's sword, holding it in place. As the white knightmare struggled, Suzaku moved forwards, launching his own slash harkens at the knightmare's head piece and grabbing it's arms, knocking off the sword it was holding as Kallen retracted her harkens. Holding it while the pilot struggled, he waited for a few seconds before a rain of bullets took out the knightmare's landspinners, just as planned. Without the ability activate its green shield, the white knightmare was pelted by the bullets, its legs dislocating as Suzaku pushed it forwards, making the machine topple.

Grinning at his success, Lelouch ordered the terrorists, who were already celebrating, to retreat, having already taken care of all the knightmare frames. Sure, there were multiple groups of foot soldiers who were still gunning down civilians, but if he were to search for each soldier, it would take forever. He had a different solution for the problem. Telling Suzaku to meet up with him separately, he started plotting how he would be able to penetrate the Viceroy's base itself.

* * *

10 minutes later

Viceroy's Base, Shinjuku Ghetto

Lelouch waited patiently, hiding behind one of the buildings closest to the Viceroy's base. Having a head start compared to Suzaku, he had arrived with plenty of time to spare before the rendezvous time. Descending from his knightmare, he had used his geass to obtain a military outfit and change into it. As he looked into a glass mirror, Lelouch was amused by how he looked exactly like any other soldier. As he was admiring the view, he heard Suzaku's knightmare pull up beside his and Suzaku descend, walking towards him.

Suzaku was slightly shocked at Lelouch's appearance, having almost attacked the teen yet again, this time for seeming to be a Britannian soldier. Stopping next to his best friend, he asked _"Lelouch, where did you get that outfit?"_ thinking for a moment he reconsidered _"Never mind, I have a feeling I don't really want to know. So what's the plan now? Even if we've taken out all the knightmare troops, there's no way the army will just stop. What are you planning to do?"_

Grinning at his friend, Lelouch said in a confident tone _"Suzaku, we are going to threaten the viceroy, my brother, Clovis la Britannia!"_

Ignoring his friend's yelp of surprise and feeble protests, he continued _"Suzaku, think about it. Like you've pointed out, the army is hardly likely to stop just because their knightmares have been taken out. If I know my brother, and I believe I do, he'll just send out all the troops he has to save face. The only way to stop him would be to threaten him, and as he ordered this massacre, I believe he deserves it!"_

Defeated by Lelouch's cruel logic, Suzaku couldn't help but agree. Looking at the armed guards though, he had to wonder _"A-Alright Lelouch, but how are you going to get past all these guards?"_

_Lelouch grinned, revealing his plan "Because of the loss of knightmares, I already saw most of the soldiers being sent out. Most likely, we'll encounter only a few guards at most, who I can just geass and order them to forget us. After that, I suspect that we'll reach Clovis's throne room where he and his tactical advisors most likely are. At that point, using geass will make it too suspicious, so I want you to knock them out. Judging from your performance in a knightmare, it shouldn't be a problem, right? I'll confront Clovis myself and force him to order a retreat."_

Suzaku could only nod, so far there aren't many problems with Lelouch's plan, as crazy as it may be. Still not mollified about what they were about to do, he stared at Lelouch and questioned_ "After that, what will we do Lelouch? I doubt that Clovis wouldn't recognized his own brother, and even on the off chance he doesn't, what's going to prevent him from receding his order as soon as we leave?"_

Grimacing, Lelouch supplied _"He's not going to be able to recede the order, nor live to tell the tale, Suzaku. I was going to question him about my mother's assassination using geass before killing him."_

Suzaku's eyes widened, not quite believing what he was hearing _"W-WHAT? Lelouch! You can't possibly be thinking about killing your own brother! I know you're determined enough to fight against your siblings, but to kill them? Not even in the heat of battle no less?"_

Lelouch winced at his friend's accusations before bristling _"Yes, Suzaku, yes I am! I told you I was willing to do everything to achieve peace and I meant it. I'm not exactly thrilled to kill the brother who taught me and Nunnally to paint and appreciate art, but I know that IT HAS TO BE DONE! This is the only way to end the massacre, and I'm going to take it!"_

Suzaku shook his head sadly _"L-Lelouch…"_

His eyes narrowing, Lelouch's gaze pierced Suzaku as he declared _"Suzaku, this is what I've decided to do, you can either stand with me or stand against me. Either way, I'm going to do what I know needs to be done"_

Suzaku looked down, seeing Lelouch look right through him. Sighing, he decided "Alright…but only for Nunnally's sake"

Smiling sadly, Lelouch replied _"Suzaku, I've told you this already, EVERYTHING I do is for Nunnally's sake. It's all for her…"_ he trailed off, already heading towards the compound with Suzaku walking slightly behind him.

* * *

10 minutes later

Throne Room, Viceroy's base

Clovis trembled in fear as two figures approached him, one behind the other. Both were decked out it soldier uniforms, how they had gotten them, he didn't want to consider. Only a minute ago, they had calmly entered the room, shocking all the tacticians involved. At the first figure's command, the other had whipped around the room at an astounding speed, knocking out all everyone except Clovis before any of them could react. The first person casually whipped out his gun and pointed it at him. Still in shock, he demanded "W-What the hell do you want?"

The first person replied, in an English accent, he might add, "I want you to call a cease fire, and make your forces retreat."

Nodding at the request, he punched a few buttons and commanded "To all troops, cease fire immediately! As Area 11's viceroy, I command you in the name of the third prince, Clovis la Britannia, all troops are to cease fire! Cease all structural destruction and aid all the injured, be they Britannian or Eleven! I will not allow for further conflict, so cease fire immediately!"

Turning around to see his attacker he asked mockingly "Now, it that all? What's next? Want me to do a dance and sing? Or maybe entertain you with a game of chess?"

Chuckling at his brother's horrible joke, Lelouch answered "Hmm, chess huh? That sure brings out memories." Seeing his brother's confused expression, he ripped off his helmet and continued "Don't you remember? We would always play chess together even though I always won. Remember? At Aries Villa…"

Gritting his teeth, Clovis demanded "You bastard…who ARE you?"

Grinning, Lelouch stepped into the light from the obscuring shadows that had been cast when Suzaku knocked out the power switch "My greetings, dear brother, it's been a while." At Clovis's gasp, he continued calmly "That right, I'm Empress Marianne's eldest son, 17th in line for the throne…I'm Lelouch vi Britannia."

Clovis's mouth dropped open as he saw his presumed dead younger brother bow. The only thing he got out was "L-Lelouch? B-But, you're supposed to be-"

Lelouch interrupted "Dead? I'm well alive, older brother, and I have come back to change everything!" he said in a low and evil tone.

Wincing at the sharp undertone in Lelouch's voice, Clovis looked away and stammered "L-Lelouch, it's good to see you're alive! I thought you had died in the invasion. So, what would you like? Let's go back to Britannian together and see the rest of the family…"

Lelouch's eyes narrowed as he heard his brother lie, rather pathetically, and he asked sarcastically "To do what? To become your political pawn yet again? You seem to forget how me and Nunnally ended up in Japan in the first place! Our mother was assassinated, simply because she was the favourite of the king despite being a commoner by birth. You guys made it look like a terrorist attack when in reality you were the ones to kill her!"

Shaking his head, Clovis defended himself "N-No, it wasn't me, IT WASN'T ME!"

Disgusted at how his brother was acting Lelouch activated his geass and demanded "Then who was it? Who killed my mother!"

Clovis stiffened, affected by the geass, as he said robotically "The 2nd prince Schneizel and the 2nd princess Cornelia might know."

Lelouch gasped, not quite believing what he was hearing "What? They were behind it?"

Clovis refused to respond, not knowing the answer. Still wondering about his newfound discovery, Lelouch released his geass, letting Clovis jolt awake in his chair.

Not remembering his confession, Clovis scrambled to assure Lelouch "I-It wasn't me, Lelouch! I didn't do it and I didn't get anyone to do it either!"

Nodding slowly, Lelouch replied "Alright, I believe you, but then tell me, dear brother, why did you order a massacre today?"

Clovis sighed in relief, thinking that he had escaped the danger and said "Oh, that? Look, I'm sorry if you got stuck in it, but I had no idea that you would be there! I had lost an prisoner, so I had the army dispatched to I could eliminate the threat. There were only supposed to be useless Elevens there anyways, no one would have found out and no one would have cared!"

Hearing Suzaku's shocked gasp at his brother's admission, Lelouch glared at Clovis while holding his gun up to Clovis' forehead "So you decided to kill all those people for the sake of a single prisoner?"

Focused on Lelouch's gun, Clovis answered "B-But Lelouch…why would you care? They're just Elevens! Why would you murder you brother over such a matter? We might have different mothers, but we still share blood! We're family!"

Frowning disapprovingly, Lelouch replied "We might share blood, Clovis, but anyone who can justify the deaths of so many innocent on their social status is no family of mine!"

Glaring at Clovis with his eyes full of hate from the betrayal seven years ago, Lelouch pulled the trigger, hearing a muted bang as his brother fell backwards.

Looking away, Lelouch returned to Suzaku, who had been gripping his hands tightly and said _"This is Britannia, Suzaku, this is what we have to strive to defeat."_

Nodding with his eyes shut, Suzaku resolved to take down anyone who could be so arrogant to believe that one person was worth the lives of so many. He then followed Lelouch out of the room, leaving nothing behind except the one bullet buried in the late prince's head.

* * *

A/N: Well, well, well, the skirmish in Shinjuku had finally reached an end! 2 episodes down, tons more to go! This is the first time I've written more than 8 000 words in a row, but I think it turned out fairly well. If this chapter is well received, I'll probably continue to write chapters about this long and elongate the time between updates to each week or so.

As promised, Taira-keimei, there was both Suzaku and Lancelot action, just not together! ;P

What do you think differs from CG for now (except Suzaku, of course)? Also, how was the knightmare fights? This was my first time trying to depict giant robots fight, so tell me if it was realistic! Oh, and and does anyone know where Tom Harris is from? (This is a hard one, I'd admit)

Until the 30th, _Sayonara!_


	7. Step 7: Readjust

A/N: Hey guys! So far, there's been 3259 hits, 1376 visitors, 30 alerts, 28 reviews and 21 favs!

To everyone who has done these things, _Arigatou Gozaimasu!_

As always, a shout out to Ragez, Nxkris, Words Of Love, Tiara-keimei, Detective Ethan Redfield, and D-Generation XX for reviewing!

See on the other side of the story! Three, two, one, ACTION!

* * *

Last time:

_Glaring at Clovis with his eyes full of hate from the betrayal seven years ago, Lelouch pulled the trigger, hearing a muted bang as his brother fell backwards. _

_Looking away, Lelouch returned to Suzaku, who had been gripping his hands tightly and said, "This is Britannia, Suzaku, this is what we have to strive to defeat."_

Nodding with his eyes shut, Suzaku resolved to take down anyone who could be so arrogant to believe that one person was worth the lives of so many. He then followed Lelouch out of the room, leaving nothing behind except the one bullet buried in the late prince's head.

* * *

Step 7: Readjust

2017 a.t.b.

Tokyo Settlement, Area 11

Inside a darkened car, Suzaku could only stare amazed at the Tokyo settlement, not having seen it for the few years due to basic training and military service. After joining the army, he had thrown himself into becoming the best soldier possible, both to achieve his goal and to numb the memories of the happy times he had left behind. All of his time was spent at the base or on missions, usually in hostile areas or ghettos, and he hadn't taken the time to visit a city he couldn't even recognize. Now, staring at the bleak, metallic sheen that covered the Britannian Settlement, Suzaku couldn't help but wonder what he was doing here. _'This truly isn't where I belong, where I feel at home in. This city was built on the corpses of the Japanese, on my mistakes.' _He brooded.

Noticing his friends rapidly declining mood, Lelouch peered over, wondering what Suzaku was thinking about. After leaving the now dead Viceroy's base, Lelouch and Suzaku had ditched their military uniforms, quickly visiting Suzaku's barracks to retrieve the small amount of Suzaku's personal belongings and to change into some of his spare clothes. They had made their way out as sneakily as possible, Lelouch using his geass to ensure anyone who saw them forgot. Reaching the main highway, Lelouch simply waved his hands around, waiting for a sympathetic Britannian to stop so that he could use his geass to get him and Suzaku a ride. Now inside the Britannian Settlement, they were making their way to Ashford Academy where, as Lelouch promptly explained, he and Nunnally were living.

Suzaku had been slightly hesitant, not really wanting Lelouch to publicly associate with him. His explanation for such wishes boiled down to one fact. While he could defend himself against any especially racist Britannians, Lelouch definitely could not with his weak body. When he finally explained his reasoning to Lelouch, his friend had simply laughed, calling him an idiot and ignored his protests. Giving up, he had climbed onto the car after Lelouch, dreading the experience of being lead through a mainly Britannian area where people pointed at his and whispered as if he was some dangerous exhibit at the zoo.

Trying to snap Suzaku out of his misery, Lelouch started asking about what had happened, so many years ago, when he and Nunnally had left Suzaku. "Sooo…What have you been doing these last few years? Last time I saw you, you were heading to meet up with Todoh, so how did you eventually end up in the Britannian Army?"

Having been torn away from his depressing thoughts, Suzaku sighed softly and replied, "It's not a very interesting story, one I'm pretty sure you can basically guess. After I left you and Nunnally, I went ahead and met up with Todoh-sensei. At that point, he was hailed for his miracle at Itsukushima and was being made active military leader. After Japan surrendered officially, he was busy trying to command the newly founded JLF and hiding from the Britannian army. Since I was only ten and the son of the prime minister who had shamefully committed suicide, leading Japan to its defeat, he deemed that it was too dangerous for me to stay with him and sent me to one of the relatives of the Shiseiken."

Looking down, as if he was still trapped in the past, he continued, "After a few years, I just couldn't stand it any longer. Just staying there and watching everyone be repressed and abused, I felt that I had to do SOMETHING! I knew joining terrorists wasn't a good idea, even if I had plenty of invitations because of my heritage, so I went off and joined the army. I got into the biggest fight with the Shiseiken who didn't want me to become a dog of the military then, but Todoh just looked me in the eyes and told me to do what felt right, so I left. The rest of the time, I spent in the military, be it basic training or actual missions. I just buried myself in training and did as I was told. It was definitely better than actually THINKING about what I should do, so I stayed. That was probably it before I ran into you today…Speaking of which, what have YOU been doing all these years, Lelouch? How did you end up in the Shinjuku Ghetto if you were living at Ashford?" he asked.

Now it was Lelouch's time to sigh, his mind recalling back to that day seven years ago when Suzaku had left. "Well, after departing with Nunnally, we basically asked around until we found the Ashfords. It wasn't hard, seeing as few Britannians voluntarily moved to Japan. The only reason they were there was because of their fallout with the nobility after my mother's death. Upon reaching their estate, all I had to do was introduce Nunnally and myself. Ruben Ashford has always been a family friend, even back when I lived at the Aries Villa. I still remember the days spent with Milly from back then…Anyways, they happily welcomed us into their home, even going as far as paying for Nunnally's medical bills and giving us a place to live. After that, we basically adopted our mother's last name, Lamperouge, and joined the school." He explained.

Turing his head to look outside, Lelouch carried on. "As for why I was at the ghetto, well…Like you, I couldn't stand just doing nothing while the Ashfords continued to provide for us even though their financial situation was steadily declining. On the off chance, I saw one of my friends from school, Rivalz, gambling with a noble at chess. He was just about to lose, and I could tell he was desperate, so I stepped in. You know how good I am at chess, so you can predict what happened. Rivalz, as it turned out, was working at the gambling den, so he introduced my to a few of his customers. For the last year or so, I've been playing chess for the Ashfords. Rivalz and I share about half of our winnings, and the rest goes to the Ashfords, a way to thank them for taking in me and Nunnally when we had nowhere else to turn. Today, while Rivalz and I were headed back to Ashford, we got in the way of the truck those terrorists had. They crashed trying to swerve around us so acting like an idiot, I went to see if they needed any help. I was climbing in when the driver suddenly just kick started the truck, and I got stuck inside. That was where you found me, after the driver crashed the second time."

Suzaku nodded silently, wondering about the sheer possibility of meeting up with Lelouch again, in a Ghetto neither of them frequented too. _'Man, I'm no good in math, but I'm pretty sure one in a million doesn't even come close to the probability of that happening'_

While Suzaku had been preoccupied with his thoughts, the car slowed to a standstill, stopping before giant gates embellished with the Ashford's insignia. Still daydreaming, Suzaku didn't even notice until Lelouch had opened the door, exited, and asked amusedly "Oi, Suzaku, are you getting off any time soon, or am I going to have to drag you out?"

Snapping out of it, he lifted his head only to shake it after seeing the immense terrain that encompassed Ashford Academy. Gaping like a fish out of water, he asked, clearly stunned. "THIS is the school you've been attending? I know the Ashfords used to be pretty high up in Britannian society, Lelouch, but this isn't a school, it's an estate!"

Grinning at his friend's astonishment, Lelouch explained, "That's because it IS an estate, Suzaku. Ashford Academy is a boarding school, for the quite rich, I might add, so everything was built to suit their needs. The school was built of the estate the Ashfords bought after leaving Britannia and pretty much everyone who attends stays at the school until the holidays."

Absorbing the information he had been given, Suzaku could only nod, stepping out of the car, which quickly departed. As he walked through the giant gates with Lelouch, Suzaku caught a glimpse of the oversized school building, surrounded by the various dorms the paths to different facilities. Suddenly, Suzaku felt a surge of apprehension wash over him. Slowing slightly, he couldn't help but feel that he didn't fit in here.

This wasn't something unexpected, but noticing all the blatant staring he was given didn't really help the matter. Straitening up slightly due to being observed, he focused on Lelouch, whom he noticed was now glaring at everyone who stared. Just as he tried to quicken the pace to avoid all the piercing glares, Suzaku accidentally bumped into a young Britannian who was just standing there with his arms crossed, eyes trying to pin down the unwelcome visitor. Squirming slightly under his gaze, Suzaku stepped back, muttering a half hearted apology and moving to grab Lelouch, who was now standing still, staring at the confrontation with irritation showing in his amethyst eyes.

Clearly not satisfied with Suzaku's reaction, James Adams, the eldest son of a duke, took a step forwards, challenging the one who he perceived as a skinny Eleven. Raising his voice, he demanded, "Wait a second, aren't you going to apologize properly for knocking into me? I think I deserve a better apology than that mumbling of yours, why don't you bow down and ask me to accept your apology? After all, bowing down to Britannians is what you Elevens do best!"

Suzaku's eyes widened a little, not at the Britannian noble's speech, but at the fury that was building up in his friend. Worrying for the guy's safety instead of his own, he said calmly "I apologize for bumping into you, but I don't think I need to bow down. After all, even if I wasn't paying attention, it takes two inattentive people to cause an accident"

Growling at Suzaku, James' arrogance boiled over. Taking steps forward, he shouted, "What are you talking about, it's clear that you're the one at fault here! Why are you even here in the first place? This is a school for civilized Britannians, numbers like you aren't welcome!"

At this point, James had taken several steps forward, leaving him face to face with Suzaku, who was now backed against a wall. Angered by the lack of fear and worry in Suzaku's eyes, he raised his fist and punched the wall right next to Suzaku's face.

Unfazed by the Britannian's actions, Suzaku merely stated "Violence is never the answer. If you're a civilized person like you claim, you should already know this. Please stop this uncivilized behaviour."

James reddened at Suzaku's words and at the laughter that came from the crowed in the form of Lelouch's snickering. Being the campus hottie, Lelouch's opinion of someone could either make or break a person's popularity, and as such, others started laughing as well, thinking that Lelouch thought this behaviour was amusing. Unknown to everyone except maybe Suzaku, Lelouch was only amused that James would have chosen to confront Suzaku physically. In any other manner, Suzaku might have been unable to defend himself, but in a physical fight, there was no way the Japanese warrior would lose, especially to a schoolyard bully like James.

Egged on by the crowd's laughter, James reeled his fist back and threw it, aiming it at Suzaku's face. Slightly saddened by the term of events, Suzaku merely ducked, leaving James to hit the wall, HARD. As his opponent winced and cradled his now scraped fist, Suzaku moved away from the wall to the center of the circle that had been formed by observers to allow for the freedom of movement. He then dodged the slow second fist James had thrown, moving away again so that James lurched forwards, loosing his balance and wobbling, trying not to fall by wildly waving his arms.

Turning back around, James tried vainly to thrown a third punch, which Suzaku intercepted, grabbing James' arm with the strength of a trained soldier. Determined to end the fight peacefully, Suzaku proclaimed, "Please stop this. I'm trained in unarmed combat and I could seriously hurt you if you keep trying to hit me."

This didn't have the right effect, to Suzaku's naïve confusion, and James started to see red, enraged enough to just lunge at Suzaku, trying to grab the agile teen. Frowning, Suzaku decided that James would not stop by himself and settled himself into a ready pose and preparing himself for the attack. As James neared him, Suzaku grabbed his forearm with the grace of a martial artist and threw him onto his back, stunning his opponent into shock by impact. Dusting off his hands, Suzaku casually turned to face Lelouch, who was grinning in amusement and politely asked "Lelouch, I know you're having fun watching me beat him, but could we maybe get out of here before this guy wakes up and decides that he wants a rematch?"

Chuckling at his friend's tone, Lelouch replied, "Sure, Suzaku, lets get going then. I have to introduce you to the student council and Nunnally anyways. Let me warn you though, if you thought this was uncomfortable, wait until Milly gets her hands on you."

Sighing at the commotion that he had caused, Suzaku ran to catch up with Lelouch, passing through the ranks of shocked students to reach the arrogant teen, who was already walking away gracefully. Falling in place besides Lelouch, Suzaku asked "Waiit…what do you mean wait until Milly gets her hands on me? I thought we were just here to see Nunnally?"

Turning around to face the clueless teen, Lelouch said, "Suzaku, I'm not an idiot. If you were staying at the army, you wont have anywhere to stay right now. I was planning on asking Milly, who's the granddaughter of the principal by the way, to make room for you in the Student Council Clubhouse with Nunnally and I. Besides, I was going to see if you could join the school too."

Stunned by his friends plans, Suzaku sputtered, "N-No Lelouch, I can't impose on you like that! Besides, you saw how the students reacted to me, I don't belong here!"

Annoyed, Lelouch glared at Suzaku and said, "Don't say anything even close to imposing on me. This is no problem, a favour for an old friend and besides, if you want to talk about imposing, you, along with your father and Todoh-sensei accepted me and Nunnally into your home as guests when we were supposed to be political hostages. This is nothing compared to that. And as for the other students, they'll learn to adapt. Milly would probably love to have you here as a student, if only to become another one of her minions and you'll learn that there's no going against her in this school."

Having no other protests at hand, Suzaku promptly gave up, something that happened a lot when he was with Lelouch, and followed Lelouch to the small building. Staring at bizarre architecture that was the clubhouse, Suzaku followed Lelouch into the wide area filled with tables. Just as he was about to ask, Lelouch explained, "The clubhouse is basically the place where the student council meets and where me and Nunnally live due to her disability. What you see right now is the place where all the balls and other festivals Milly comes up with are held. If I'm not wrong, the council should still be up in our meeting room, knowing how they can never finish all the work when I don't show up."

Just as he finished his explanation, Lelouch stopped in front of a door with the words 'MEETING ROOM' inscribed on a plate above it. Returning his attention to Suzaku, he warned, "Just to warn you, Milly is an unstoppable force of nature, so the more you struggle the worst it gets. Take my advice and just go with whatever she says unless it's detrimental to your health. The other members will be more sane, but watch out for Nina, she's shy by nature and she's terrified of everyone who's not Britannian"

Now slightly apprehensive, Suzaku took a breath as Lelouch opened the doors, revealing a blushing orangette, a grinning blonde, a smirking blue haired boy and a flustered green hair girl who where all seated in a oval table, surrounded by paperwork. Unfazed, Lelouch merely asked, "Dare I wonder what happened this time, Madame President?"

Now having the attention of all the members of the student council, Lelouch dragged Suzaku inside the room while the other was still slightly bewildered by the scene in front of him. Still maintaining her grin, Milly explained, "I was just talking about Shirley's recent…growth." At these words, both Shirley and Nina blushed fiercely while Rivalz just sat back, amused by the turn of events.

Pleased at the girls' reactions, Milly then diverted her attention to Suzaku, who was now standing awkwardly next to Lelouch. Grinning like a shark, she asked, "Oh, and who's this? A friend of yours, Lelouch? Or maybe something more…?" She trailed off, raising her eyebrows so that her intent was absolutely understood.

Poor Suzaku could only gape at the busty blonde, his brain unable to process what she had hinted at. Back at the table, Shirley stood up and slammed her hands onto the table, stuttering "M-Madame president! Please don't say these things about Lulu!"

Raising one of her eyebrows higher than the other she asked, "And why not? He ditches Rivalz after earning quite a sum of money only to return to Ashford with another boy who we've never met? Perhaps they stopped by for some private time after an expensive date? Shouldn't we leave the love birds alone?" she teased, watching Shirley grow more and more flustered, worried that her beloved Lulu might have already been taken, by a boy no less.

Coughing into his fist to cover his light blush at Milly's implications, Lelouch proceeded to state, "Madame President, I fear you've been reading too many of you steamy love novels. Suzaku and I here are just old friends who managed to run into each other in the Tokyo Settlement. I was going to introduce him to you guys and ask if he could attend Ashford, but now I think you've manage to scare him off if you haven't scarred him for life."

Her fears settled Shirley proceeded to smile at Suzaku, introducing herself and the rest of the council to the still dumbfounded teen. "Ah, Suzaku, is it? My name's Shirley Fenette and I'm a part of the student council like Lulu. The crazy blonde is Milly Ashford, our president, and these two are Rivalz Cardemonde and Nina Einstein. Nunnally is an honorary member too, but I'm sure you already knew her." She said, presenting the other members of the council.

Suzaku, still slightly stunned, replied, "Uh, yeah…I'm Suzaku Kururugi, nice to meet you guys."

Nina, having truly taken a look at Suzaku, trembled slightly, her hands covering her mouth as she whispered, "A-An Eleven…"

Noticing this, Suzaku directed his attention to his fascinating shoes and the carpet he was stepping on while Lelouch approached the girl, patiently trying to convince her that Suzaku means no harm. In a quiet tone, Lelouch said comfortingly "Nina, I know you're scared of anyone who isn't fully Britannian, but please trust me when I say that Suzaku wouldn't hurt you. I've known him for years and I even trust him with Nunnally."

Nina's eyes opened wide, along with the rest of the council, when she heard this. Being his acquaintance, if not friend, for more than five years, she knew how overprotective Lelouch was with his beloved sister. Lelouch, while being polite about it, had never expressed complete trust to the council when it came to Nunnally and everyone had come to accept that Lelouch never would, being a completely overbearing, but attentive older brother. The mere fact that Lelouch trusted Suzaku with Nunnally was astonishing, and went a long way in assuring Nina that Suzaku wasn't too bad, which by her xenophobic standards, was almost impossible.

Nodding her comprehension, she said softly, "I-It's nice to meet you, Suzaku.", to the surprise of the student council.

Smiling gently, Suzaku said, "It's nice to meet you too, Nina."

Smiling, Milly promptly interrupted the happy moment, telling everyone to get back to work and gesturing for Lelouch and Suzaku to step outside with her. Slightly confused, Suzaku followed Lelouch out, closing the door as he exited.

As soon as the door closed, Milly's expression changed to being both curious and serious at the same time, a far cry from the carefree expressions she usually displayed. Looking at Suzaku and then at Lelouch, she asked, "Lelouch, is this who I think it is? The son of Genbu Kururugi, the last prime minister of Japan?"

To Suzaku's surprise and shock, Lelouch actually nodded, his expression now solemn. "Yes Milly, it is, and he knows about my…heritage too."

Nodding as if the fact didn't really surprise her, she asked, "And is it true that you want him to go to Ashford? Is there a certain reason why?"

Lelouch turned to Suzaku, his eyes asking Suzaku to trust him and then replied, "Milly, today when I ditched Rivalz, I ended up being taken by the Britannian Army, who grabbed me when I tried to help out some terrorists who crashed trying to avoid Rivalz's bike. Suzaku was there as a part of the military, but to save me, he ended up attacking several royal guards who recognized me as a prince. We barely escaped, but the guard probably wont raise a ruckus about it, I suspect, no one wants to admit they saw a dead prince without proof. That said, Suzaku can't possibly go back to the army now, so I was wondering if he could stay with me and Nunnally and possibly go to Ashford Academy, as a cover if nothing else."

During this speech, Suzaku's eyes widened slowly, wondering when Lelouch had come up with such a cover story. Just before Milly turned to look at him, however, he managed to hide his shock with a poker face he had learned in the military. Nodding as if he was agreeing with everything Lelouch said, he started to say, "Ms. Ashford, I understand if this is too much to ask, so-"

Milly interrupted him, overriding his words as she proclaimed, "Don't worry about it, Suzaku! I'll be glad to help a friend of my trusted vice president! And call me Milly or Madame President like everyone else too!"

Taken back, Suzaku could only nod, recalling how Lelouch had warned him not to object. Seeing how she could probably concoct any stories as crazy as the one he had just heard inside the meeting room, he decided that Milly was someone he just couldn't reason with.

* * *

1 hour later

Student Council Clubhouse, Ashford Academy

Lelouch and Suzaku were finally alone, to their relief. After their serious discussion with Milly, Lelouch and Suzaku had rejoined the rest of the student council only for Lelouch to be trapped with all the remaining paperwork as punishment for ditching. While Lelouch exasperatedly started on his pile, Suzaku had been attacked by Rivalz and Shirley, who both pelted him with questions about his childhood and how he had come to know Lelouch. Nina returned to her computer, typing up her research and Milly had taken her leave, going off to tell her grandfather about admitting Suzaku.

It had taken a whole hour for Lelouch to finish all the work and shoo the rest of the members away from the clubhouse. Suzaku, although being polite about it, was glad to see them go, not really wanting to explain a lot about his past. After cleaning up the mess they had made, Lelouch gestured for Suzaku to follow him, entering a more private and homely section of the clubhouse that Suzaku had guessed was for him and Nunnally. Entering the dinning area, Suzaku saw Nunnally for the first time in seven years, quietly folding paper cranes as she chatted with someone who seemed to be a maid. Hearing footsteps, Nunnally stopped her folding and lifted her head up asking "Brother, is that you? Shirley said you were going to be late, but I had expected you to be home by dinner! Who is it that you have with you?"

Gesturing for Suzaku walk to one side of Nunnally while he walked to the other, Lelouch said softly, "I'm sorry Nunnally, the student council ended up ditching all their paperwork on me, so I was later than I expected, but to make it up to you, I brought you a special visitor!"

Seeing Lelouch's gestures, Suzaku reached out and grabbed one of Nunnally's hands and held it to both of hers, waiting for Nunnally's reaction. Nunnally gasped delicately, her voice trembling when she asked hopefully, "T-This hand…is it…? Is it really you, Suzaku?"

Smiling, Suzaku lifted Nunnally's hands to his face and said, "Yes, Nunnally, it's really me, Suzaku."

Now smiling broadly, Nunnally cupped Suzaku's face, beaming as she said, "Brother, this is such a great surprise you've given me! How on earth did you manage to find Suzaku after all these years?"

Happy at his sisters joy, Lelouch said "I ran into him today after I went gambling with Rivalz. That's why I told Shirley I was going to be late. And what's more, from today onwards, Suzaku is going to be staying with us and attending Ashford."

Grinning at Nunnally, who squealed in happiness, Suzaku asked, "So, Nunnally, what have you been doing? Is this origami?"

Nodding, Nunnally said, "Yes, our maid, Sayoko-san, is Japanese, so she taught me to fold cranes. I think that it's amazing what you can do with a single piece of paper! And besides, she told me that if I fold a thousand paper cranes, I could have one of my wishes granted!"

Curious, Suzaku asked, "So, Nunnally, what's your wish?"

Cradling at her completed crane, Nunnally said softly " I was going to wish for a gentler world."

Shocked, Suzaku could only stare when Lelouch swooped in and said. "I'm sure that, by the time you can open your eyes, it will be Nunnally. But for now, why don't me and Suzaku put you to bed like the old days, hmm?"

Smiling, Nunnally agreed and both boys took Nunnally to her room and tucked her in, and wished her a good night before taking their leave.

* * *

The next day

Ashford Academy, Area 11

To say that Kallen wasn't pleased was an understatement at best and a strait lie at worst. After the affair at Shinjuku Ghetto, the rest of the terrorists, along with their Q-1 had been forced into retreating. Hiding the few Sutherland frames that had been free from damage, Ougi had ordered the group to disperse in case of a second raid. Most of the members had agreed reluctantly, still energized by their victory against the Britannian forces, but well aware the danger that would be imposed on the remaining residents of the Shinjuku Ghetto if they continued their activities.

Kallen, on the other hand, almost flat out refused to leave, especially if it meant going back to her Britannian home and facing her obnoxious stepmother. She had begged Ougi to let her stay, possibly to tend to some of Sutherlands she wanted to get her hands on, but her brother's best friend and her leader couldn't be budged, playing the guilt card and mentioning how Naoto would have wanted her to stay at school.

Reluctantly, she had taken her leave, taking a taxi and arriving at her 'home', a posh mansion fit for the influential noble who lived in to. The fact that she had to acknowledge it as a home sickened Kallen, who felt more at home at Ougi's then in the mansion where her weak mother, snobbish stepmother and her never-there father lived. However, being the only surviving heir to the Stadtfeld name, she had to call it 'home'. Upon her stepmother's insistence that she couldn't play hooky any longer, Kallen had reluctantly arrived at Ashford Academy, once more living the lie of the sickly daughter of the Stadtfeld family.

Currently, Kallen was sitting in her desk in the Britannian history classroom, acting like a recuperating girl while her Britannian 'friends' gushed over her presence, shocked that she had shown up. Smiling weakly, Kallen responded to their inquisitions with her scripted responses as she internally ranted _'Darn that Ougi! What was he thinking, sending me to chat up these ignorant Britannians when I could be helping him with the Sutherlands? Now I'm going to be stuck here for ages before I can get the excuse for leaving again!'_

* * *

Unknown to the chattering girls, Lelouch had walked by, shocked at the appearance of the fierce terrorist who had commanded the red Glasgow. His eyes widened as he walked by, a slight crack in his casual bored expression, before he recomposed himself thinking, 'so THAT'S why she seemed so familiar yesterday! To think that a girl with the abilities of an ace knightmare pilot had been hiding in Ashford for so long!'

Throughout the class, Lelouch continued to observe the girl, who's feeble acting had disappeared after the teacher started lecturing and captured the attention of most of the class. Suddenly, Rivalz leaned over, having noticed where his friend had directed his attention. Casually leaning back on his chair, he whispered in his friend's ear "Whatcha looking at Lelouch? Do I see a redhead in your thoughts? Finally caving in to puberty and having a crush?"

Shaking his head at Rivalz's questions, Lelouch replied "No Rivalz, just thinking how rare it is for her to show up at school. She hasn't been here since the starting ceremony this year, has she?"

Not believing his friend's words, Rival leaned on one of his hands and explained "Kallen Stadtfeld. They say her body's really weak, so she only showed up a few times last year too, but her grades are still excellent. She's the only daughter of the Stadtfeld family, so she's guarantee to have money and she's a shy one. Wow, your tastes are refined Lelouch!"

Sighing mentally, Lelouch stated "No, Rivalz, that's not it" while thinking to himself 'Hmm, so that's her excuse. Seeing her performance yesterday, I'd bet all the money I've won so far on the fact that she's more tough than she seems.'

Grinning at Lelouch's denial, Rivalz continued "Now, Lelouch, no need to hide it! But she's a little to sheltered in my opinion."

By this point, the class had ended, letting Lelouch escape Rivalz and depart, quickly shadowing the unaware redhead to the courtyard where Kallen and the rest of her friends were eating lunch. Hiding behind a bush, Lelouch saw the bunch of girls all squeal and run at the sight of a bee. Now alone, Kallen showed her true colours, swiping quickly to swat the bee, which met an unfortunate end. Standing up at her performance, Lelouch grinned, having proof that the girl was the same as the one from the ghetto.

Kallen, who hadn't noticed her hidden observer, promptly stood up, exclaiming while biting into her sandwich in frustration, "God, that pisses me off. I definitely shouldn't have picked such a weak personality to play!"

Turning around to exit the premises, she looked right at Lelouch, who was staring at her with a serious expression. Worried, Kallen though 'Crap, he saw everything, didn't he?' Before she could make up some excuse, however, she saw the boy open his mouth and promptly blacked out.

* * *

When Kallen finally reopened her eyes, she saw the boy staring at her. Confused, she asked, "Umm, is there something you wanted to ask me?"

Shaking his head, Lelouch said "No, I'm done here" before slowly walking away from her, turning around to say "Oh, and just in case, don't tell anyone about Shinjuku"

Her eyes narrowing, Kallen asked suspiciously, "Wait, what do you mean by Shinjuku? What are you trying to say?"

Lelouch's eyes opened slightly wider, shocked that Kallen had resisted his geass. Backing up as if he had seen a snake, he activated his geass again and commanded "Go back to the classroom!"

Glaring at the Britannian boy who thought he could order her around, Kallen demanded, "I will, but only after you tell me what you meant!"

Suddenly, a voice pierced the conversation, startling both students. In the room three stories up, Shirley waved, yelling, "Lulu, Kallen! We're in the science lab next, so hurry up!"

Thanks to the sudden interruption, Lelouch pretended to be surprised, excusing himself by saying "Oh darn! I'm supposed to get the equipment for our experiments! Sorry Kallen, but I've got to go!" before sprinting away from the confused girl, all the while wondering 'what happened to my geass? Why didn't it work on her?'

* * *

Lelouch huffed, having run all the way to main gates of the school. Stopping next to the small bridge, he looked down into the water, staring at his activated geass in his left eye and at the crane insignia that was surrounded by his now crimson pupil. Having calmed down a little bit, he thought things through. 'Hmm, so far, all I know about geass is that it needs eye contact to work and the subject probably needs to hear the command. It stands to reason that my geass has more constrictions, so my experience with Kallen must mean that one of several conditions haven't been met. Seeing as it worked the first time and considering its qualities, the geass shouldn't be affected by its surroundings, so the only thing that differs the second order from the first is that the subject has already been influenced by geass. This might not be the only restriction I haven't triggered yet, so I have to test it further. This is my only weapon outside of intelligence and I need to know how to use it'

Coming back from his metal debate, Lelouch looked up to see his history teacher walk by only to stop and say, "Hey Lelouch, you should probably get back to the school. Lunch is about to end, you know."

Thinking that it was the perfect chance to confirm his suspicions, Lelouch asked with his geass activated "Hey teach, tell me what questions will be on the test tomorrow!"

Stiffening, the teacher said robotically, "Sure! It's on the humiliation at Edinburgh, the second Pacific war and civil wars."

Glad that he was right in assuming his geass still worked, he asked the teacher again.

This time, the teacher frowned, saying "Stop joking around and study, Lelouch. I'm sure you'll do fine if you actually work!"

Grinning, Lelouch replied, "Kay…"

Deciding to head back to the school before the bell rang, Lelouch mentally planned out how to figure out the full specs of his unnatural weapon.

* * *

10 minutes earlier

Courtyard, Ashford Academy

Kallen stood in a now empty courtyard, stunned by the events that had preceded the silence. Shaking her head, she promptly departed, heading towards the school roof so she could take her time processing what had just happened without her distracting friends. As she made her way up, her fists slowly clenched into a fist, her mind rapidly figuring out what had happened. 'Ugg! What was that boy talking about? Could he possibly know about me being a terrorist? No…I haven't even been to school at all this year, so he couldn't have… Even if he saw through my act, he couldn't possibly find out about me being half-Japanese. Then why would he mention Shinjuku then? What did he mean? And who the hell did he think he is, trying to order me around like that! Damn arrogant britannian!'

Reaching the roof, she sighed, looking at the grounds the school was built on and imagining the deaths that had occurred to make it possible. Suddenly, her cellphone rang. Wondering who could possibly call her at the moment, Kallen took out her cell and read the Caller ID, which read 'Ougi'. Flipping open her phone, Kallen said, _"Yo Ougi, why are you calling me at school of all places? Do we have a new mission yet?"_

Sighing exasperated at the eager teen, Ougi replied _"No Kallen, I was just wondering how it felt to be back at school after such a long time."_

Disappointed, Kallen said _"Uncomfortable…we just had a class on history. Hey, are you sure you don't need me there to help with all those Sutherlands under our control?"_

Sternly, Ougi replied _"No! The military has the entire ghetto under a tight leash right now. It's better if you stay there until things cool down a little."_

Stubbornly holding on to the chance of leaving the premises, Kallen urged "But what about that voice? We can't just ignore it!"

Calmly, Ougi explained _"We can't do anything with the person's voice as the only lead we have. Besides that, Naoto would like it if you stay at school, if only for a little while. Just forget about Shinjuku for a while and I'll call back with new instructions when I can"_

Frowning at Ougi's words, which reminded her a little too much to a certain snobby student, Kallen ended the call. Suddenly, the figurative light bulb lit up and Kallen's eyes widened while she thought 'No WAY! Could it be that…could that boy be the mysterious voice that lead us to victory?'

* * *

A/N: Due to the positive feedback from everyone, I've decided that all chapters will be around the length of this chapter! This means, though, that my updates will take longer, but no longer that once a week unless something urgent comes up! This, I promise! ^_^

As you might have noticed, the sequence of events is kind of twisted. This is because the story wouldn't have turned out right if I went by CG timeline, so I decided to switch things up a little. I really don't think that it would have a profound impact on the story, but let me know if there are inconsistencies anywhere in the story!

On a side note, please notice that in this story, a person can see the geass insignia in someone's eyes, but the red rings in someone's eyes due to geass is invisible. This is because I personally believe that you can't actually see geass and that the only reason for the red rings is a clue for the viewers. In that case, please ignore the fact that Kallen didn't notice Lelouch's geass in this chapter! My feeble excuse is that she was distracted… :P

Also, if anyone was wondering, Lelouch and Suzaku stepped into the scene in Episode 3, where Milly was talking about Shirley's chest. I realized early on that the conversation wouldn't have made it into this chapter, but do imagine that it happened before Lelouch opened the door.

What did you guys think of the chapter? Was it too idealistic? Were the characters convincing? Did anyone act extremely OOC? As always, any comments, opinions, criticisms and/or advice is always welcome!


	8. Step 8: Reveal

A/N: Hey all! So far there's been 4232 hits, 2315 visitors, 42 reviews, 40 alerts, and 27 favs!

Thanks to Ragez, Swordmagic51, Nxkris, Taira-keimei, Lavenderstorm, and Dark wolf 123 Cheza the Flower Maiden, animefan29 (x4 :P) and Sakurahanaalice for reviewing last time!

Now, on with the story!

* * *

Chapter 8: Reveal

2017 a.t.b.

Army Base, Area 11

Shinji Hirako woke up to several blurred figures around him. Blinking in confusion, he tried to lift his hands up to rub his eyes when he felt a jerking motion. Looking down, he say his hands strapped to the sides of his straitjacket. Still slightly stupefied, Shinji's eyes opened wide when the memories of what had happened rushed into back into his brain. Jolting, he found himself completely immobilized with straps around his body. Now fully awake, he started really looking around, his heart sinking when he realized he was inside a cell, clearly in the army base.

Shifting his body, Shinji moved his body into a sitting position just as a soldier passed by, probably patrolling the grounds. When the soldier saw Shinji awake, his eyes widened and he dashed off without saying a word, leaving a confused ex-soldier to wonder what had happened after he was knocked out.

A few minutes later, Shinji got his answer as soldiers opened the door to his cell. Unlocking his leg straps, a soldier jerked him onto his feet, barking out "Walk!"

Complying, Shinji wondered where he was going until he saw an all too familiar door. Having been an undercover agent, Shinji was sometimes brought there to help manipulate unwilling terrorists. It was the interrogation rooms that he was heading towards and at this revelation, his pace halted. Unpleased, the soldier pushed the Honorary Britannian forwards, leading him to an isolated interrogation room just in case things got noisy.

His heart beating at a hundred beats per minute, Shinji was pushed onto a flimsy foldable chair. Sitting in front of him, he saw a green-haired man in a uniform he realized belonged to the pure bloods. Looking down on him, the man tossed a gun, sealed in an evidence bag with a tag, onto the table. Not knowing what to say, Shinji kept quiet until the man demanded, "Do you recognize this gun, Shinji Hirako? It was used to assassinate his Highness, Clovis la Britannia…"

At that declaration, Shinji's head jerked up as his eyes opened in surprise.

Seeing his expression, Jeremiah continued on, "Oh don't look so surprised, Shinji, after all, our forensic team found YOUR fingerprints on this gun!"

His mouth dropping open for a moment, Shinji exclaimed "N-No, you have it wrong, I didn't do it! All I did was-"

Shinji stopped talking as a soldier stepped forward and backhanded him, the force throwing him onto the floor as his arms were bound, not letting him protect himself. Undisturbed, the purist continued, "Don't lie to us, we've got proof that you rebelled and shot your commander before running off. No doubt about it, you were probably converted by one of the terrorist groups you infiltrated and was sent on a mission to assassinate his Highness!"

Sputtering at the nonsensical motive, Shinji protested "W-Wait a minute! I admit that I attacked my commander, but a soldier knocked me out after that! The next thing I knew, I was in that cage a few minutes ago!"

Scoffing, Jeremiah continued, "That's a likely story, but we retrieved you at the army base. That Eleven friend of yours, Ryoga, probably knocked you after the job to leave you with an alibi! Heck, he was probably your accomplice, seeing as the generals reported being attacked by two armed soldiers!

Looking up at the serious soldier, Shinji cried out, "There must be some mistake! I didn't do it!"

Looking at the frantic man, Jeremiah rose from his seat and brushed his hands as if cleaning up a messy business and said, "Our evidence says else wise, Shinji Hirako. The only mistake that has occurred it that you as a dirty Eleven thought you could harm a prince of the Holy Britannian Empire and get away with it."

Seeing the former soldier being put back into his cell, Jeremiah turned around and exited the room, his mind already thinking of what to do next to aid the purists.

* * *

That afternoon

Ashford Academy, Area 11

Lelouch sat in class, propping his face up with his hand and acting like the model lazy genius he pretended to be. Hiding behind his boredom, however, his mind was working furiously, deciding what to do with the girl he was now sure was Q-1. 'Hmm…from what I've tried, people don't remember what happens during or a little bit before the geass is activated or else that teacher would have caught me. If that's the case, then Kallen should be the same and wouldn't recall anything other than me telling her not to talk about Shinjuku. The problem lies in what she's figured out from that information. From what Rivalz said, I can assume she's pretty bright and might recognize my voice. I'll have to throw her off my tail until what she does know won't be so influential to my plan. How to do so….well, if Kallen only knows my voice, then appearing before her while she hears the voice should be fine. This should be a good time to appear before that terrorist group in Shinjuku too. In any case, he who attacks first gains the advantage. I'll have to ask Suzaku to help me and confront her my way.'

Completing his plan, Lelouch merely shifted slightly, relaxing into actual boredom and waited for the end of the class. Clearing his desk, Lelouch ignored the eager Shirley, determined to get it over with before Kallen could confront him first and ruin his plans. Striding purposefully towards the group of girls who were chatting away with Kallen, Lelouch coolly said, "Could you come with me for a second? There's something I want to talk to you about."

Kallen looked up, her eyes slightly narrowing in suspicion, and replied "Yes, I was waiting for you to ask."

Ignored by the two, the girls in the class screamed collectively and Shirley visibly jolted, disgruntled at Lelouch's apparent interest in someone female outside of the student council.

Wincing slightly at the noise level, Lelouch lead the way, heading towards the Student Council Clubhouse while Kallen trailed behind him purposefully, observing all his actions for any suspicious activity. Understanding the need for privacy, she didn't speak until Lelouch closed the door of the clubhouse behind her. Curious about her surroundings, Kallen commented, "I didn't know there was such a building on the school campus."

Acting like a guide, Lelouch explained " This clubhouse was built specifically for student council use. It was made large for balls and other festivals that Milly, the president, loves to throw.

Nodding her understanding, Kallen stated, "Then there shouldn't be any interruptions her"

Just as Lelouch was about to agree, their private conversation was pierced by a triumphant shout "Yes! I found it!"

Shocked, both teens turned towards the upper levels, where Shirley suddenly popped up rubbing her back as she turned towards the hallway where Rivalz and Nina suddenly appeared, and the mousy girl said in a relieved tone. "That's it! The experimental data! Thanks a lot Shirley!"

Suddenly, from a different entrance, Milly entered, decked out in an apron and pushing a cart of food. Looking up at the voices, Milly asked "Did you find it? In that case, let's get started!"

Looking down and seeing all the delicious food that now graced on of the tables, Rivalz exclaimed "Oh, that looks amazing!"

Beaming, Milly finished placing all the food onto the table and said "Feel free to praise me all you like!"

Having recovered from the shock, Lelouch asked "Umm, Madame President, what's all this for?"

Tilting her head sideways, Milly wondered "You knew what we were planning didn't you, Lelouch? That's why you brought her here, because you knew that we were going to ask Kallen to join the student council. My grandpa specifically requested it, after all!"

Confused, Kallen muttered a 'Huh?' to which Milly explained, "He said that because of your frail body and health, it wasn't a good idea to let you join an athletic club. Because of you infrequent attendance, our cultural clubs weren't an option either, so he suggested that you join the student council."

Turning around to face Kallen, Milly pointed to herself and introduce, "Oh, I'm Milly Ashford, by the way, the president of the student council. It's nice to meet you."

Recalling her manners, Kallen bowed and said "It's nice to meet you!"

Straitening up, she found herself surrounded by the student council as they all introduced themselves. Exchanging pleasantries to keep her cover, Kallen didn't even notice the sound of an electronic wheelchair approach them until a quiet voice asked, "Umm, sorry Suzaku, but could you put the food onto the table for me?"

Rushing forward, Suzaku replied, "Of course Nunnally, here."

Surprised at the appearance of the gentle girl in the wheelchair and the Japanese teen who accompanied her, Kallen stopped talking while Lelouch rushed forward asking "Nunnally! Suzaku! You guys are here too?"

Noticing her confusion, Milly explained, "That's Nunnally Lamperouge, Lelouch's younger sister and Suzaku Kururugi, a new student"

Noticing the new girl, Nunnally supplied, "Since I'm still in middle school, I'm not technically in the Student Council."

Walking towards her, Rivalz said, "But you'll be soon, won't you? Granted, not as soon as Suzaku, but it's only going to be a few more months right?"

Informing everyone, Suzaku said, "Yup, I'll be attending Ashford starting next week. You'll probably see me around though, since I've got nothing better to do these few days besides getting ready. It's nice to meet you though, Kallen"

Pushing her wheelchair forwards, Nunnally repeated the greeting and Kallen beamed, taking an immediate liking to the kind girl and enjoying the fact that a fellow Japanese would be allowed at Ashford.

Pulling a bottle from his bag, Rivalz interrupted the tender moment by declaring, "Now then, let's celebrate the two new members of the student council with this! How about a toast?"

Staring at the bottle Rivalz had no doubt gotten from work and placed on the table, Shirley exclaimed "Champagne!"

Fiddling with her skirt, Nina asked, "Is it really appropriate for the student council to be drinking champagne?"

Lifting the bottle up, Rivalz stated "Now, now, there's no need to be so uptight about this!"

Ever the proper girl, Shirley exclaimed, trying to grab the bottle, "Rivalz! We all know that's not allowed in school!"

Struggling with the persistent Shirley, Rivalz tossed the bottle to Lelouch, shouting "Hey Lelouch, catch!"

Catching the bottle with pure reflex, Lelouch couldn't prepare himself for Shirley, who promptly tackled him to the floor, sending the champagne cork flying towards Kallen.

Amazed by the turn of events, Kallen flicked away the high speed cork only to be showered in the proceeding spray of champagne, much to the surprise of both herself and the rest of the student council, who stared at the now soaked redhead.

Glaring at Rivalz, and staring at her clothes, she internally ranted 'Never mind that moment with Nunnally, this is why I HATE Britannians!'

* * *

10 minutes later

Bathroom, Student Council Clubhouse

Kallen found herself quickly ushered to the bathroom after the champagne incident after Rivalz and Shirley apologized, and Shirley forced Lelouch to mutter a half-hearted apology. Now standing under the soothing spray of warm water, Kallen thought about how she had gone from suspecting Lelouch to being attacked by champagne. Hearing a knock on the door and Lelouch explain that he was bringing her spare clothes, Kallen answered, "Come in! I have the curtains drawn."

Entering the misty room, Lelouch took one look at the shadow of Kallen's body before looking away, saying, "Sorry about those guys, they're a bit more lively than most."

Assuring him that she didn't mind, Kallen said, "Nah, it's alright once in a while to have that kind of excitement."

Placing his clothes in a hamper, Lelouch asked, "The clothes I brought are mine, but I think they'll fit fine. Do you mind?"

Flicking her gaze towards the direction of the teen, Kallen wondered curiously "You must be pretty fast then, to be able to get from the dorms back here so quickly…"

Leaning on one of the walls, Lelouch answered sombrely, "Actually, I live here since it's hard for my sister to stay in the dorms. The chairman gave us permission to live here instead."

As if trying to escape the subject, Lelouch quickly turned around excusing himself as Kallen suddenly said, "Wait! Could you hand me my pouch?"

Looking at the pink pouch, Lelouch slowing extended his hand past the curtain, only to jolt mentally when Kallen firmly grabbed his wrist. Having already predicted such a confrontation, though not exactly like this, Lelouch merely stated "You're stronger than you look."

Her eyes narrowing, Kallen demanded, "Were you at Shinjuku the other day?"

Carefully maintaining the calm in his voice, Lelouch asked, "What do you mean?"

Mad, Kallen slowly grabbed her pouch she had dropped, revealing the sharp knife hidden in it and placed it to Lelouch's wrist, stating "Don't answer my question with a question! Give me a yes or no answer!"

Feeling the sharp blade pressed against his wrist, Lelouch was about to reply when the phone rang. Mentally congratulating himself at getting the right timing, Lelouch asked, "Can I get that? Someone will come up here if I don't…"

Suspicious, Kallen agreed, listening to the short dialogue before being offered the phone. Wondering who it could possibly be, Kallen took the phone, slowly exchanging the knife for the phone and lifting it to her ears. Before she could say anything though, she heard an all too familiar voice say "It's good to see you're safe, Q-1."

Her eyes widening, Kallen peered past the curtain, making sure Lelouch wasn't talking to her somehow, shocked that her suspicion was wrong. Before she could finish her observation, however, the voice ordered "Meet me at 1400 tomorrow at the ex-Tokyo Tower. Come alone"

Before she could ask the voice any questions, however, the call suddenly ended, leaving her staring at the phone. Before she could think up what to do though, Lelouch interrupted, "Hey, was that a friend of yours or something?"

Suddenly realizing the awkward situation she was in, Kallen quickly released his arm, muttering, "Sorry about that, I guess I was just suspicious of anyone who randomly talks to me about Shinjuku. I heard there was a commotion there…"

Having thought up an excuse, Lelouch said, "That's why I told you not the mention Shinjuku. I thought the since you haven't been to school lately, someone might try to show you the pictures from Shinjuku. They're really graphic and aren't pictures someone frail like you should see. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll head back down stairs. Come join the party when you're done."

Nodding even though she knew he couldn't see, Kallen agreed and rested on the shower wall, exhausted by the chain of events that had happened and trying figure out what to about they mysterious voice's orders.

* * *

A few rooms away, Suzaku sighed as he ended the call after Lelouch's taped message was played. Just after Kallen had been sprayed by the champagne, Lelouch had dragged him away from the rest of the student council and told him to play a recording two minutes after he headed to the washroom. Confused, he had done it only to almost expose himself as soon as he heard the tape along with Kallen. Worried that the deception would be discovered if he left the tape on for longer, he had hastily slammed down the phone. Sighing, he tucked the tape recorder in his pockets just as the door to the room opened.

Jumping slightly, Suzaku turned around to see Lelouch discretely closing the door behind him. Relaxing slightly, Suzaku said, _"Oh, it's only you Lelouch. You scared me for a second…and what's with the tape you made me play? I was so shocked I almost exposed myself!"_

Recalling what had happened that afternoon, Lelouch explained, _"You know the girl in the Glasgow that you were working with in Shinjuku?"_

Wondering what that had anything to do with this, Suzaku nodded, replying _"Yeah, the one who you saw when you snuck into the terrorist's truck right?"_

Pleased that Suzaku had remembered that detail, Lelouch continued _"Yeah that one…when I saw her, I couldn't help but think that she looked familiar. Turns out, I was right after all, it was Kallen"_

His eyes widening, Suzaku asked, _"Are you serious? She's a teenage girl! A sickly one, to boot!"_

Scoffing at Suzaku's reaction, Lelouch revealed,_ "You know, we can't exactly criticize her about being young since we're the same age. Being sick is just a cover Kallen uses to explain for her long disappearances from school. I'm pretty sure she's spent the last year fighting with the rebels, and she probably only came back to school to maintain her cover and keep a low profile while the military searches for the terrorists."_

Shocked, Suzaku wondered, _"Why is she fighting though? As the daughter of a noble, she probably grew up around Britannian propaganda. Even if she's a sympathizer, why would she go so far instead of donating to charities and stuff?"_

Looking out the window, Lelouch explained, _"That's what I was wondering about this morning after I saw her. Turns out, she's only half Britannian and she identifies herself as Japanese."_

"_Wow…she looks pure Britannian…But Lelouch, how did you get this information? There's no way that she just up and told you all of this, you used your geass, didn't you?"_ accused Suzaku, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Exasperated at his best friend's high morals, Lelouch said,_ "Yes I did Suzaku, but could you really tell me I had a better option? It didn't even work out as planned even WITH geass."_

Curious, Suzaku put his frustrations aside for a moment and asked, _"What do you mean?"_

Sighing, Lelouch revealed what had happened and what he discovered about geass. He also revealed his plan and Suzaku's part in them. Suzaku was relieved when Lelouch reported that Kallen seems to be pacified at the moment. After listening to explanation, Suzaku continued undeterred and asked, _"Alright, so that problem is solved for now, but what are you going to do about your geass, Lelouch. Don't tell me you're going to use that inhumane power!"_

Scowling at Suzaku's criticism, Lelouch said, _"Yes, Suzaku, I am."_

Angrily, Suzaku accused _"You can't do that Lelouch! Using your geass to bend others to do your bidding is nothing less than evil! If you subjugate everyone to your will, what differs you from the Britannian Empire? What makes you different from your father?"_

His eyes narrowing almost into slits, Lelouch hissed, _"NEVER, compare me to that man, Suzaku! I'm not going to order anyone to follow me at all! Unlike what you think, I believe loyalty has to be earned!"_

Slightly pacified, Suzaku demanded, _"Then what were you going to use the geass for?"_

Calming himself down slightly, Lelouch explained, _"Geass will be my last resort in case of a dangerous confrontation. Besides the geass can be used to minimize any casualties on both sides."_

Still suspicious, Suzaku asked hesitantly, _"Promise me you'll only use it when you absolutely have to, Lelouch"_

Staring Suzaku in the eyes, Lelouch replied, _"Fine, I promise."_

Feeling the tension in the room disappearing, Lelouch relaxed and opened the door. Gesturing for Suzaku to come with him, he walked out and said, _"Come on Suzaku, we should probably head back to the party or else Milly will take off our heads."_

Shaking his head at the memory of Milly he had from the night before, Suzaku muttered, _"God, she reminds me of Kaguya! I didn't even know that was possible!"_

Curious, Lelouch asked, _"Kaguya Sumeragi? That cousin of yours that Nunnally and I met at the Kururugi Shrine? How on Earth does Milly remind you of her?"_

Shuddering at his memories, Suzaku said, _"Trust me, she's changed since you've met her. Her staff should have NEVER let her near the computer…"_

Warily, Lelouch said, _"I'm not sure what that means, but I don't think I really want to…"_

Nodding furiously, Suzaku agreed, _"She scared me for life…and I have a feeling Milly will do the same."_

Laughing at his friend's misfortune and arriving at the door to the ballroom Lelouch said, "Well, good luck about that!"

* * *

As the two boys headed back to the party, they didn't notice a certain redhead hide in one of the rooms in the hallway. Having listened into their conversation, Kallen's suspicions were rekindled. Her eyes narrowing, she wondered 'who is this Lelouch Lamperouge? Not only is he friends with a Japanese, he dares speak to Japanese in the Britannian Settlement…how does he know it anyways? The Britannian government banned the language ten years ago! And why does the name Kururugi sound so familiar?'

Straitening up slightly, she exited the room she was hiding in and triggered the automatic door that let her back into the ballroom. Just as she entered, she heard Nunnally cry out, "Oh big brother, Suzaku, this is terrible!"

Curious, Lelouch asked, "What do you mean Nunnally?"

Turning around from the TV screen, Milly looked at the trio who just arrived and said, "Prince Clovis is dead, apparently killed!"

The trio's eyes widened, although for different reasons. Kallen had been genuinely surprise where as Suzaku was shocked that the news had been broadcasted only now. Lelouch was just faking his reaction, having already deduced that the military would cover the assassination up until they had a scapegoat ready. As predicted, a clip of the press conference was released with Margrave Jeremiah declaring "His Highness Clovis la Britannia had died, being a martyr in the battle against Elevens while pursuing peace and justice! We must carry on his ideals as we grieve his passing!"

Lelouch's eyes narrowed as the announce took over, explaining urgently, "This just in! A prime suspect has been identified and apprehended! The suspect seems to be an Honorary Britannian. The Honorary Britannian Shinji Hirako, a former Eleven!"

Her fist clenching, Kallen said, with her voice deceptively calm, "Do you think it was really this Shinji Hirako character that killed the late Prince? How could an Honorary Britannian make it to the Prince's private chambers?"

The student council all turned around and looked at her while Nina said, "B-But, it has to be him! The news says that he's a prime suspect after all! He probably took advantage of Prince Clovis' mercy or something, there's nothing Elevens wouldn't do…"

Kallen looked at her speechlessly, unable to comprehend the shy Britannian girl. Just as she was about to burst out angrily, Lelouch's calm voice coolly said, "Now Nina, Kallen has a good point. There would be no way that an Honorary Britannian could have gotten to Clovis. Most likely, the army is trying to cover something like the betrayal of someone influential…"

Confuse, Shirley asked, "B-But that's not fair! The army wouldn't do that!"

As if trying to placate Shirley, Nunnally said, "Don't worry Shirley, if Shinji Hirako is innocent, I'm sure the court won't find him guilty! I think everything will turn out all right!"

Smiling at his sister, Lelouch assured, "I'm sure that will happen" and mentally adding 'Not because of a corrupted court, but because me and Suzaku will have something to say about this.'

* * *

3 hour later

Student Council Clubhouse, Ashford Academy

After the commotion about the newly arrested Shinji Hirako, the council had continued their party until Lelouch had declared it was time to wrap up and Nunnally to go to bed and so, after everything had been cleaned up, all the members had dispersed, each heading to their rooms except for the Lamperouge and Suzaku. After tucking Nunnally into bed, Suzaku had pulled Lelouch aside with a worried look on his face. After finding a vacant room, Suzaku closed the door discretely and asked, _"Hey Lelouch, what are we going to do about this Shinji person? We can't possibly see him executed for our crimes!"_

Smiling slightly, Lelouch said, _"I'm glad you actually realized that Shinji was going to become a scapegoat."_

Glaring at Lelouch, Suzaku huffed and said, _"I was naïve, not stupid. You have a plan then, I assume?"_

Nodding, Lelouch said, _"According to the broadcast, Shinji is going to be paraded into the courtroom, no doubt a way for the army to spur public distrust for Elevens so they use more extreme methods without the backlash. This will prove a wonderful opportunity for us to make a debut!"_

Confused, Suzaku asked, _"We're going to have a debut? You can't possibly think that us announcing ourselves to the world is a good idea, right?"_

Scoffing, Lelouch replied, _"Of course not. WE aren't going to do anything. Zero and Rei, however will."_

Looking at Lelouch as if he was crazy, the Japanese teen asked, _"Zero…and Rei?"_

Grinning, Lelouch explained, _"I've been thinking about how to rebel against Britannia without being a terrorist. With your skills and my intelligence, I'm sure we're capable, but without an army of some kind, we won't be able to do anything worthwhile."_

Nodding in comprehension, Suzaku confirmed, _"That's why you helped the terrorists in Shinjuku and asked Kallen to meet up with you, right?"_

Sitting down, Lelouch said, _"Yup. So far, they've only heard my voice and seen your capabilities, but come tomorrow, they'll be able to see us too. That is, Zero and Rei."_

_"I assume by Zero and Rei, you mean our disguises?" _Suzaku asked.

Grinning, Lelouch said, _"Correct. I'll be Zero and you'll be Rei, as you've probably guessed."_

Suzaku wondered, _"Why Zero? I assume Rei is the translation, but why Zero?"_

_"I thought that my name should reflect a bit of truth. My character is going to become a synonym for revolution, a knight of justice after all. With that fact alone, a regular name just won't do. If I am to be such, I'm not a single person or entity, but a symbol. Thus, I'm Zero a non-existent being, summoned by the grievances of the Japanese. Besides, it sounds cool!" _Lelouch declared.

Face palming at the last part of Lelouch's reasoning, Suzaku asked, _"Lelouch! Anyways, so what are our disguises going to be exactly? A different name isn't going to get us far."_

Pulling out a sketch he had made during class, Lelouch said, _"Well, I was going to wear something like this. It's unique and the I hardly doubt anyone will recognize me in it."_

Staring at the drawing, Suzaku laughed, asking him _"Are you serious Lelouch? It looks like a cartoon character! What's that on your head? A fishbowl?"_

Glaring at his friend who didn't appreciate his sense of fashion, Lelouch said, _"I happen to like it! And as for the fishbowl comment, let see you laugh when you get the same one as me!"_

This stopped Suzaku's laughter as he stated, _"You're serious? I don't want to wear something like that! How can you even move in that thing?"_

Sighing, Lelouch explained, _"I won't need to move around too much, I'm going to be a commander after all. And you aren't going to wear it, but I'm going to make the same mask for you, except in white instead of black. It's just easier that way. As for your costume, you can pick something out by yourself as long as it's widely recognizable. Seeing as your name is Rei, I recommend you to have some sort of Japanese influenced costume."_

Nodding, Suzaku asked,_ "How about a Sashinuki hakama with a white kimono underneath? You know, the same thing I usually wear while training. You've probably seen it when I was training with Todoh-sensei ten years ago"_

_"Hmm...that's plausible, you'll be comfortable for combat in the thing too right?" _asked Lelouch.

_"Yeah, and it's pretty traditional Japanese wear."_ Agreed Suzaku.

Thinking about it, Lelouch said, _"Alright then, I'll just get someone to craft the costumes for us. I've already come up with a plan about how to get the terrorists to join us too…"_

* * *

The next day

Tokyo Tower, Tokyo Settlement

Kallen looked up at the remains of the Tokyo Tower, once a proud symbol of Japan, and checked her watch. 'Tokyo Tower at 16 00. That's what the voice said. He also told me to come alone, but he doesn't deserve our trust if he can't even predict me contacting the others.'

Walking around the exhibits, Kallen started growing sick of the amount of Britannian propaganda around. To think that a place used for the enlightenment of youth would be full of misleading facts like how Japan's 'laziness' brought their defeat. Looking around, she spotted Ougi along with Kento and Yoshida, who were keeping an eye on her since Ougi suspected that the voice had been the accused, Shinji Hirako.

A soft announcement interrupted her thoughts as the announcer spoke softly "To Miss Kallen Stadtfeld from Ashford Academy, there is a lost item waiting for you at service counter. I repeat, Miss Kallen Stadtfeld to the service counter."

Looking up, Kallen proceed to the indicated counter with her guard up. Looking around, the women at the counter brought up a cell phone. Slightly surprised, Kallen confirmed that it was hers before making her way up to the observation deck. Checking up with Ougi, Kallen answered the phone when it rang, puzzling at the display that said 'ZERO'

Making her way slightly away from the crowd, she lifted the phone to her ear and said, "Yes?"

Without indicating any emotion, the voice commanded, _"The 5th Kanjou train line on the outer track. Bring your friends along."_

After making some discrete signals to Ougi, Kallen did as she was told. Just as the train started, the phone buzzed once more and she picked it up, asking "Hello?"

Calmly the voice asked, _"When you look to the right in the direction of the front of the train, what do you see?"_

Kallen's eyes darted to the window and saw the shiny metallic glean of the Tokyo Settlement. Understanding that it was a test of sorts, she said lowly, _"A Britannian city, robbed from the us and built on our bloody sacrifices."_

As if approving her opinion, the voice then asked, _"And on the left side?"_

Kallen looked to her left, seeing the grimy and dusty city that used to be a booming metropolis and stated, _"Our city, a shell of what it used to be after Britannian sucked out it's life and it's people."_

_"Good answers"_ the voice stated, sounding pleased, _"Now, come to the first car."_

Realizing that the voice was on the train, Kallen rushed forwards, forgetting about Ougi and the others and headed towards the front of the train. Making her way through crowded car, Kallen didn't hesitate to open the door to the first car. Taking a look, she gasped as she took in the two figures who stood at the front of the cabin. Hearing her comrades join her, she asked _"It's you guys…isn't it?"_

Looking back to see all the other passengers in the second car completely ignoring their actions, Kallen demanded, _"What happened in Shinjuku and the cease fire were you guys' doing, right?"_

The black figure took a step forwards, waving his hand up to maximize the effect of his cape and said, _"What did you think of your tour of the city?"_

Confused, Ougi asked,_ "Tour?"_

Irritated, Kanto muttered,_ "So this was your idea of a joke huh?"_

_"I was just trying to get you in the right mindset. The city and the ghetto!"_ The figure exclaimed, lifting his arms up one at a time to make his point clear.

Completely serious, Ougi stepped up and said, _"We know there's a wide gap between us and the Britannians. That's why we fight, we resist!"_

Unsurprised, the voice uttered, _"You're wrong! Britannia will not fall to mere terrorism! Terrorism is merely a childish antic, a pathetic plea for attention!"_

Angered, Kanto snapped, _"WHAT? Are you calling us kids?"_

_"You shouldn't mistaken the general Britannian populace as the enemy, it's Britannia herself that you must fight! If you want to do something, declare war! Don't harm the innocent civilians who have no part in the conflict!" _the white figure pronounced, taking part in the conversation.

Biting her lip, Kallen retorted,_ "That's easier said than done! Why would be even believe the words of someone who hides his face from his allies?"_

As if nodding, the mask of the black figure moved up and down as he acquiesced, saying _"Very well, I shall show you, not my face, but my power! If I make the impossible possible, would you believe me just a little?"_

Hesitantly, Ougi nodded slightly and as did Kallen, being the more sensible members of the four rebels there.

Pleased, the black figure said, _"All right, the two of you, for your willingness to trust, will be rewarded with a front view seat to my miracle. Now here's what I want you guys to do…"_

* * *

A/N: Phew, a very important chapter done! I apologize for the lateness of this chapter, but I guess the real world caught up with me. I could tell you all the things I needed to do this week that kept me away from this fic, but excuses are just words…

There was a few reviews asking for Lelouch to let Kallen in on his identity, but as of now, she won't know it for a while to come. That is not to say, however, that Lelouch will keep her in the dark forever until someone forcibly rips his mask off (that was such a bad idea Lulu -_-), but it will take time for him to trust her. If anyone was wondering why, it was just plain logical for me. I don't think it would make sense for Lelouch to randomly blurt out his secrets to any girl who finds out the slightest bit about him. Especially since that information could not only harm him, but also Suzaku and Nunnally.

On a completely different note, ZERO AND REI HAVE APPEARED! If you didn't notice before now, Lelouch will be in his classic Zero outfit, but Suzaku will be wearing a hakama (if you don't know what that is, just google it). My reason for that is…I THINK SUZAKU LOOKS GOOD IN IT! :P

Shinji Hirako has also made a surprise appearance. I don't think anyone predicted what was going to happen to him, but it seemed kinda obvious to me :P

Also, if anyone noticed that Kallen switched from English to Japanese on the train, it was on purpose. At first, it would be suspicious of her to speak in Japanese, but if she talked trash about Britannian in English, it would cause more trouble so she switched to speaking softly in Japanese.

As always, tell me if there's something you think needs to be changed or if you have a question! Any comments, opinions, critiques and support is welcome!


	9. Step 9: Rescue

A/N: Hey y'all I'm back!

So far there's been 6405 hits, 54 reviews, 50 alerts and 38 favs!

To Darth Lelouch, Ragez, Cheza the Flower Maiden, animefan29, Valk, PXLight, Midnight Flower 41, Taira-keimei, , Nxkris, Cherubchan, and Skepsis66: thank you all for reviewing!

Three, two, one, ZERO! San, Ni, Ichi, REI! (:P)

* * *

Chapter 9 : Rescue

20197 a.t.b

Tokyo Settlement, Area 11

Night had fallen on the Britannian Settlement but in the perpetual brightness of artificial lights, business continued on, undelayed by the darkness. On a glowing road of cement, a solemn atmosphere hung on top of the crowds, who had gathered there for the transport of the criminal Shinji Hirako, a traitorous Eleven who had dared raise his hand against the Royal Family.

Hidden from the cameras that captured the event however, the reporters worked frantically, capturing this moment for all to see under the careful supervision of Diehard Reid. The obsessive journalist himself was currently barking out orders to the rest of his crew.

Slowly, as if taunting fate and flaunting their confidence, the escort parade that held the chained, bound, and obviously beaten prisoner appeared from the horizon. The crowd reacted furiously, whipping into a frenzy and spewing jeers and curses at the man. Inside the reporting car, Diethard winced, 'Che, I can't believe I would stoop so low as to report a façade like thing…'

Under the same sort of impression, Jeremiah Gottwald sighed mentally, thinking back to the good old days at the Aries Villa and with the vi Britannian children, who he had shamefully let down. He was not a extremely racist person by nature, he believed that ability should be put before race, but after the devastating accident, he had thrown all his efforts into a single group, working furiously to not let himself drown in his spiralling depression. As he continued to lead the purist group forwards, his radio crackled, exclaiming "2nd commander Jeremiah!"

Acting strictly professional, he demanded, "What is it?"

"A vehicle is approaching from 3rd street and it's headed towards you! As ordered, we checked it out but…" the voice reported urgently.

Surprised, Jeremiah asked, "Do you think it has anything to do with terrorists?"

Not knowing what to say, the soldier on the other side stuttered, "W-Well, it's His Highness Clovis' personal transport…"

"His Highness'? What a ridiculous guy…I don't mind! Let him through! All vehicles, HALT" Jeremiah exclaimed arrogantly.

Confused by the unexpected standstill, the crowd bursted into murmurs, all discussing the possibilities that would cause the army to stop. The noise level rose steadily until suddenly, there was silence. Another car had arrived on scene, directly opposing the procession. Gasping silently, the crowds realized that the vehicle was Prince Clovis' personal transport vehicle, a blatant disrespect for their now deceased ruler.

Grinning at the crowds reaction, Jeremiah declared, loudly as soon as the car had stopped in front of him, "Come out now! How dare you impudent fools desecrate His Highness' vehicle?"

As if responding to the margrave's orders, the paper covering the front of the vehicle, proudly displaying the Britannian flag, burst into flames, quickly burning away and revealing two conspicuous figures, one cloaked in a dark fabric bordered by rich gold and the other in a traditional Japanese costume, both wearing the same type of mask with three spikes coming from the top, no doubt a reference to the black and white kings in chess. The only difference was the colouring, as the black figure had a black mask with a purple screen along with a golden finish on the bottom, like a stretched version of a crane. The other figure had a mask of white, complete with a golden screen, though without the stretched crane.

Noticing the crowd's confusion and grasping the full effects of suspense, the cloaked figure took a step forwards and declared, "I AM ZERO!"

Following his partner's footsteps, the Japanese style figure aligned himself with Zero and declared _"AND I AM REI!"_

Amongst the crowd, both in front of the procession and in front of a TV, people muttered, "Zero? As in nothing? And Rei…is that Japanese?"

Not liking the attention grabbing masked man, Jeremiah stood up from his knightmare, drawing out a gun and saying, "That's as far as you go, Zero, Rei! You're finished!"

At his words, planes approached the scene, dropping down four armed Sutherlands who loaded their automatic rifles and aimed them at the truck.

Laughing at his success, Jeremiah ordered, "Now, let's start by having you guys remove your silly masks!"

Unfazed, Zero took the lead, putting his hand slightly underneath his mask before quickly lifting his hand up and snapping. At the sound, the white boards that were supposed to be parts of the carriage broke apart, falling to the ground and revealing a metallic dome, covered in strange spikes.

Stunned, Jeremiah stuttered, "W-Wait…isn't that…!" while gritting his teeth, thinking 'Damn those terrorists…They've taken the entire crowd hostage and worst of all, they don't even realize it! Not knowing what to do, he aimed his gun at Zero, shifted it to Rei and then back, trying to scare the terrorists.

"Want to shoot me and my companion? You should know what that would mean…" Zero said, unfazed. Looking down, he saw a Britannian cameraman approach the scene, but chose to ignore the civilian.

Not having thought of a different solution, the margrave demanded, "I understand. What is it that you want?"

Nodding as if expecting such an outcome, Zero said, "An exchange…This for Shinji Hirako!"

Looking back to the stunned prisoner, who was held at gunpoint, Jeremiah proclaimed, "That's not possible! That man is responsible for the death of a Britannian Prince! I cannot hand him over!"

"YOU'RE WRONG!" Zero exclaimed looking strait into the camera, "That man isn't the culprit! He didn't kill the Prince, WE DID!"

Stepping up at the commotion caused by the shocked crowd, Rei pronounced, "For the price of one Japanese, you can save all the Britannians here! That's not such a bad deal, if I do say so myself."

Beside the procession, Diethard was grinning, excited for the first time since the reports of Clovis' death, thinking 'These two! They're turning this into a fascinating show!"

Panicking at the fact that the culprit had just proven the army wrong for capturing Shinji, Gottwald frantically cried out, "These people are crazy! You will pay for making a mockery with His Highness' personal transport vehicle!"

At his words, the surrounding Sutherlands aimed their guns forward, preparing to fire as soon as the orders were given.

Unfazed, Zero merely said, "Are you sure about this, Orange?"

Puzzled, Jeremiah muttered "…Orange?"

Tapping his foot to urge Kallen forwards, Zero continued "I've had set up so that everything will be exposed to the public upon my death. If you don't want that to happen, then…**let us go with all your strength and with us, the man next to you!**"

Stiffening under the influence of the geass, Jeremiah emotionlessly declared, "Ump, I understand…Give him that man!"

Shocked, Villetta popped up from inside her knightmare. Slamming her hands on her cockpit, she demanded "Margrave Jeremiah, what are you doing?"

Unconcerned, Jeremiah repeated the order, leaving the guards next to Shinji utterly confused. Hesitantly, they asked, "Umm…is it really OK to release him? I though-"

Irritated that his commands weren't being followed, the margrave puffed up, shouting "Hand him over! No one interferes!"

Feeling that he had gone too far, Kewell exited his cockpit, demanding "What is this? This wasn't supposed to-"

Not letting the man finish his words, Jeremiah glared and stated "Kewell! THIS IS AN ORDER!"

Slowly, the guards unbound Shinji, working under the margrave's strict supervision and gesturing for the astounded prisoner to walk towards the masked figures. All around them, the crowd jeered, not realizing that they had been taken hostage and only recognizing that their glorious Britannia had bowed down to terrorists and handed back a murderer of royalty, an Eleven no less. Uncertainly, Shinji slowly walked towards the two figures who had descended the transport vehicle and a uniformed woman who stepped out from the drivers seat. Unable to contain his curiosity, Shinji managed to ask _"Who are you guys?"_ before being silenced by his electric collar.

Observing the man, Rei stated _"I see that Britannia had found the need to silence you."_

Right after his words, Kallen stepped forward, reporting, _"Zero, Rei, it's time."_

Nodding, Zero stated, _"Very well, we'll discuss this at a later date"_ At those words, he pressed the button he had been holding and caused the gas container to release purple fumes, causing a mass panic before Rei grabbed Shinji and they all jumped, landing on the net Ougi had prepared just moments ago.

Above, gunshots could be heard as the Sutherlands deployed, trying to capture the masked figured. Angered at the release of the toxic fumes, Villetta had been ready to fire at the terrorists when Jeremiah, now in his knightmare, lunged towards her, pushing machine gun upwards to change the direction of the bullets. Shortly afterwards, Kewell had rushed towards the edge of the bridge, predicting the presence of accomplices. Disabling the net launching machine, he had set his sights onto the truck the others had landed into only to find himself held at gunpoint by the hysterical Jeremiah. During this time, the truck had hastily started, carrying its passengers into the darkness that now enveloped the Settlement.

* * *

1 hour later

Shinjuku Ghetto, Area 11

Stepping out of the truck, Kallen and Ougi found themselves surrounded by their relieved comrades, who had been watching the situation on TV. After Zero and Rei had excused themselves, dragging Shinji away from the unmasked terrorists, they had gathered together next to a few crates, which served as chairs, discussing their masked companions. Sitting down, Yoshida said, _"I still can't believe they actually pulled it off!"_

Looking at the guy, Sugiyama wondered _"What are they?"_

Not liking how his predictions were wrong, Tamaki bitterly interjected _"How stupid! It's not like these kinds of bluffs would work again!"_

Bowing his head, Ougi stated _"But you have to acknowledge the fact that he was the only one who could have pulled this thing off. I doubt the JLF could have done what he did today and I KNOW that I wouldn't. Everyone thought that war against Britannia was impossible, yet it might actually be possible with them on our side…"_

At his words, the entire group fell silent, all pondering the possibilities while Kallen gasped at the idea that her dreams could come true. At these thoughts, she turned around slightly, her eyes looking in the direction where Zero and Rei had headed towards.

* * *

Inside the old theatre, Zero looked at the ruffled prisoner, stating, _"It looks as if they've treated you poorly…Do you see how the army is now, Shinji Hirako?"_

Lowering his head and looking at the floor, Shinji said, _"I know…I've always known that Britannia would willingly throw away the lives of the Japanese freely…"_

At these words, Suzaku winced underneath his mask at how bluntly, although unintentionally, the man had pointed out the flaw in his old plans.

Lelouch on the other hand was pleasantly surprised at the man's admittance. Continuing on, he said, _"Britannia is rotten! If you wish to change the world, then join me!"_

At these words, Shinji recalled what had happened during his rescue, how the man had released the container of poison gas the terrorists, maybe he himself, had stolen. Frowning, he stated, _"I know that Britannia is wrong, and that maybe killing Clovis is justifiable, but to take innocent civilians hostage and to kill them for the sake of a distraction, that is just unacceptable! I will never work with people like that."_

Bowing his head slightly at the man's accusations, Rei said, _"Don't worry about it. The gas was harmless, a bluff used to ensure that they wouldn't kill us on sight. No one was hurt with it."_

Mostly pacified, Shinji replied still slightly suspicious, _"If that's really the case, I would have liked to work with people who risked their lives to save mine. However, my life is not just my own. I have responsibilities to my family, to my children. They were the reason I joined the military in the first place and I would rather face death instead of leaving them behind to suffer through the discrimination that would follow."_

Nodding understandingly, Zero offered, _"I understand your situation and I admire your will to protect your family no matter the cost, but it seems you misunderstood me when I offered you a job."_

Looking up, Shinji asked, _"What do you mean? I thought you wanted me to work with you?"_

Stepping forwards, Rei stated, _"We wanted you to help us, that much is true, though we had planned on you to return to the Army if you were willing to and acting as a spy. If you had just joined us outright, the army would never stand it, punishing all the Honorary Britannians for your actions."_

Debating the offer, Shinji replied, _"What would that entail exactly? I don't want to betray my friends, nor assassinate others.. I won't risk my family."_

Putting his hand on Shinji's shoulder, Zero said, _"Don't worry about it. We believe that you're a man of honour and would not do these things. All I ask is that you request to be transferred to the research development department within the army. Because of what has happened, you are likely to be requited on the grounds of lack of evidence and the army would be trying to appear as compassionate as possible so I doubt that they'll refuse. Once in, all I want you to do is to keep an eye out for the white knightmare they've been developing and it's researchers. If you find anything of use, just contact us using the phone I'm giving you, but otherwise, just be a regular soldier."_

Nodding solemnly, Shinji said, _"If that's the case, I'd be happy to help the people that saved my life. The only thing I ask is what your intentions are."_

Already retreating after handing the man a phone, Zero said, _"We want an end to the oppression and the creation of a world where people can live in harmony and peace. Where there's an end to war and the birth of freedom. If that is all, we shall take our leave. Good luck, Shinji Hirako. The next time we shall actually see each other may be when our goals are achieved."_

At these words, Rei turned around and followed Zero, exiting the now silent auditorium and disappearing into the darkness and leaving a slightly stunned soldier and the promise of information to come.

* * *

1 hour later

Student Council Clubhouse, Ashford Academy

Suzaku and Lelouch walked silently towards the bright room where the girl they were fighting for resided. Pausing at the automatic doors, they squinted as they were bombarded by the bright lights in the kitchen, a stark contrast to the dark hallway they had been walking through. Adjusting to the light, they could only stare, gaping at the sight before them. Surrounded by an army of paper cranes sat precious Nunnally and an all too familiar green haired girl. Completely at home, the supposedly dead girl turned around at their arrival and said, "Welcome home, Lelouch."

Not being able to see what is happening, Nunnally innocently followed, "Yes, welcome home brother! You too, Suzaku!"

Unable to speak, the two boys could only watch the green-haired girl proclaimed something about dinner and Nunnally trail on unknowingly about the appearance of Zero and Rei. Lelouch could only stare until his beloved sister until the she commented about the possibilities of marriage. Suddenly finding his voice, Lelouch denied valiantly, proclaiming "N-No! It's not like that! She's…uh…just kidding! It's just a joke-"

Not even looking up from her origami, C.C. stated blankly, "I hate jokes."

Glaring at the impassive girl, Lelouch stepped forwards and grabbed one of the teacups sitting on the table and purposefully dropped the cup. Taking advantage of the fact that Nunnally couldn't see what had happened, he proclaimed, "Oh look what you did C.C.! You're all wet now. Here, we have to take care of that in the bathroom."

Grabbing C.C.'s arm firmly, he lifted the girl up, shooting a look at Suzaku and said, "I'll be back soon, but for now, sit tight, Nunnally. Suzaku, could you find Sayoko to clean this up for me? I think she's upstairs too."

Hesitantly, Suzaku nodded and said, "I-I'll take care of it, Lelouch. I'll get Sayoko later."

Nodding, Lelouch left the room, forcibly dragging the dispassionate girl, and headed upstairs. Reaching his room and flicking on the light switch, Lelouch let go of the girl, launching her onto his bed. Staring at the girl he assumed to be dead, he demanded, "Who are you"

Standing up, C.C. replied, "Didn't you hear your sister? I'm C.C."

Frowning at the obvious deflection, Lelouch stated, "You know that's not what I meant. You're-"

Turning around and staring at her new geass wielder, she interrupted, "Supposed to be dead? Do you like it? The power I gave you?"

His eyes narrowing, Lelouch confirmed, "So it was you who-."

"Are you unsatisfied?" C.C. asked, falling onto Lelouch's bed

"No, I'm grateful. You've pushed my schedule forward a good few years." Lelouch commented.

Intrigued, C.C. repeated, "Schedule?"

"The plan to crush Britannia. I thought it would take a few more years before I could act, but this power will make things easier." Lelouch revealed, grinning.

Raising one of her eyebrows, the most emotion she had shown in front of Lelouch, C.C. asked, "You think that obtaining that power will be enough?"

Scoffing, Lelouch replied, "No, but I was planning to do so without it. The power is an unexpected, but appreciated bonus. Getting Suzaku on my side is another. If he hadn't been there after your container, he might have become one of the many slaughtered at Shinjuku. Even if he wasn't, I would have been forced to fight against him and knowing his prowess in a knightmare, it would have been a kink in my plans."

Pleasantly surprised, C.C. commented as she undressed unashamedly, "As expected of a child of Marianne the flash, you show potential, though I must wonder what your relationship is with that boy."

Having turned around when the girl started undressing, Lelouch exclaimed, "He is just an old friend! Besides, are you going to just stay here? I thought the army was after you!"

Amused by his reaction, C.C. looked at the flustered boy and replied, "Only a small part of the army, no one with significant reach. For now, I plan on sleeping. If you're a man, you'll sleep on the floor."

Lelouch angrily climbed above C.C. demanding, "Why are you here anyways? This might endanger Nunnally!"

Just as she was about to reply a knock on the door interrupted their conversation and Suzaku stepped in. The boy had just finished spinning a slightly ridiculous, but still believable, story for Nunnally and cleaning up the shards of the cup Lelouch had dropped. Making an excuse, he had headed upstairs, wanting answers for his questions. Knocking once, he entered the room, only to pause at the scene before him. His jaw dropped as soon as he caught sight of his best friend leaning over the green haired girl, who was undressed and hiding under the covers of Lelouch's bed. Blushing and whipping his head to the side, he muttered an apology before closing the door after him.

Just as he was about to take his leave, the door flung open and a panicked Lelouch ran out of it, shouting, "Wait Suzaku, that wasn't what it seemed."

Turning around, Suzaku stared at his flustered friend and stuttered, "Umm…it's alright Lelouch, we're teenagers after all. I'm not going to judge you or anything…."

Blushing at Suzaku's implications, Lelouch said, "It's not like that you idiot! I wasn't-…Let's just drop this, alright?"

Accepting his offer, Suzaku changed the subject and asked, "Lelouch, is that girl who I think she is?"

Nodding, Lelouch said, "Yeah, she's the girl from Shinjuku and like I thought, she's the one who gave me my power. It seems that she's a witch, even if I judge only by personality."

Raising his eyebrow, Suzaku wondered, "What's that supposed to mean?"

His eyes narrowing as he recalled their conversation, Lelouch explained, "Well, she doesn't seem to have any sense of decency, doesn't do as I tell her to, and refuses to answer my questions. She's probably bossy and does whatever she wants too"

Amused, Suzaku commented, "Except for having no decency, she sounds like a wilful girl version of you!"

Lelouch stared down his best friend and said icily, "Hell no, that girl's nothing like me!"

Laughing, Suzaku retreated to his room, replying with a "Sure, Sure, Lelouch. Whatever you say…"

* * *

The next day,

Tokyo Settlement, Area 11

Suzaku fiddled with his new school uniform in front of a mirror, trying to make the high collar a bit more comfortable for his first day of class. At Lelouch's shout, he hastily made his way downstairs, grabbing his new school bag, and running down the stairs. Together, the two boys had made their way to the school part of the Academy. Noticing now classes had started, Suzaku grimaced at the fact that he had broken a rule on his first day while Lelouch didn't even seem to notice. Opening the door to their classroom, Lelouch walked in the class as Suzaku trailed slightly behind. At the sight of the Japanese teen, the class feel completely silent, staring at the boy until whispers started as the ruder students commented on how an 'Eleven' didn't belong at Ashford. Before the whispers would heat up though, the teacher cleared his throat and shouted, "Now class, calm down, this is the new student, um…"

Ever helpful, Suzaku supplied, "Suzaku Kururugi, nice to meet you."

Grateful for the help, the teacher said, "Mr. Kururugi is going to be a student here at Ashford Academy, which promotes social acceptance, so I expect nothing but the best behaviour from all of you. Suzaku, why don't you sit next to Lelouch for today? It seems that you guys know each other."

Nodding, Suzaku made his way past rows of students, who were still staring. Following Lelouch, they reached a row about halfway up the classroom where Rivalz was sitting. Sitting down, Suzaku was slapped on the back by the energetic blue haired boy who said, "Heya Suzaku, nice to see ya again!"

Noticing the commotion, the teacher shouted for attention once again and recaptured the attention of the students with the exception of Lelouch. After class, Shirley and Kallen, who were sitting somewhere else in the classroom made their way to the boys' desk, chatting up the trio. Kallen, who was pretending to be slightly sick, didn't join in the conversation much, but she was determined to make Suzaku, a fellow Japanese, welcome at Ashford. Somewhere on the back of her mind though, she was impressed at how the rest of the student council treated Suzaku kindly, like a friend, even with the rest of the students staring at the like fish out of water.

* * *

4 Hours later,

Courtyard, Ashford Academy

Lelouch sat on a bench, searching up reports of Shinji's rescue while enjoying the peaceful afternoon. It wasn't very often for him to have down time like this being in the student council and after his proclamation to crush Britannia, he had a feeling he would have even less from now on. Stopping for a brief break, he closed his eyes only to open them again as a shadow appeared. Looking up, he saw Kallen, who was blushing for some reason. Sitting back up properly, Lelouch asked, "What can I do for you, Ms. Stadtfeld?"

Slightly irritated by the usage of her father's name, Kallen sat down on the bench and said, "Call me Kallen, Lelouch. Actually, I was wondering about the phone call from a few days ago. Was there any way to trace it?"

Knowing that Kallen had been trying to track down Zero and Rei, Lelouch turned to face her and said, "Well, it was made by a phone in the Academy, so I don't think so." Closing his laptop, he stood up and continued, "Now, if there's nothing else, I'll be leaving."

Slightly shocked by the sudden retreat, Kallen exclaimed, "W-Wait!"

Turning around, Lelouch asked, "Yes?"

Looking down, Kallen asked, "I was wondering about your relationship with Suzaku…you seem to know him well, better than anyone else in the student council. I thought that, well, with him being an Eleven…"

Amused at Kallen's question, Lelouch sat back down and explained, "Suzaku and I were friends, before the Invasion, but I only ran into him a few days ago in the Tokyo Settlement."

Shocked at the revelation and her suspicions rekindled, Kallen asked, "Then, what's your opinion about Elevens? Should they really be bowing down to us like we're totally superior?"

Not fooled at her barely concealed intention of fishing for information, Lelouch proclaimed, "Well, I don't believe that there's a fundamental difference between Britannians and Elevens, but looking at the situation now, it WOULD be easier if they bowed down to us."

Completely forgetting how Lelouch acted towards Suzaku, Kallen angrily demanded, "Why? If they decide to do so, Britannians will continue to stomp on them! Or do you believe that that's alright?"

Setting his calm gaze at Kallen, Lelouch elaborated, "Well, if you look at it, the only two choices available to them is either to refuse Britannia and live in the Ghettos or to bow down and live in the Settlements. By bowing down to Britannia, they are practically guaranteed to be picked upon and get the bad jobs, but at the very least, their children will be able to attend school, they'll be able to have income and they generally live a longer and better life than those who refuse to let go of their pride."

Standing up, Kallen barely manage to contain her urge to strangle the arrogant Britannian teen. She limited herself to slapping the Britannian teen before storming off while saying, "I thought you were better then other Britannians, Lelouch, but I guessed was wrong!"

Lelouch, who was still on the bench, only rubbed his cheek, which was stinging from the slap. 'Sorry Kallen, but I was telling the truth. But just because it's the truth doesn't mean we should resign ourselves to it. It doesn't meant that it's right…'

* * *

Blinded by her fury and in her desire to get away, Kallen managed to bump into Suzaku when she turned the corner. Reacting instinctively, Suzaku reached to grab the spirited girl. Setting her down, Suzaku took a look at Kallen's expression and asked, "Umm….Ms. Stadtfeld, it something the matter? You seem…um…angry"

Looking at Suzaku, Kallen huffed, "It's nothing. I don't see why you're friends with Lelouch though. That guy is such a JERK!"

Frowning, Suzaku asked, "What did he do? I know he has a habit of being blunt and harsh, but he's not a bad person at heart."

Crossing her arms, Kallen exclaimed, "That guy was talking about how the Japanese are better off bowing down to Britannians and stuff even though he admitted before that he thought Britannians weren't superior."

Smiling understandingly, but not missing the usage of the word Japanese, Suzaku said, "I think there's a misunderstanding here." At Kallen's indignant expression, he explained, "You see, Lelouch has a habit of saying things that can be misinterpreted. When he said that the Japanese people would be better off bowing down to Britannian, he meant it from a logical standpoint."

At that moment, Kallen interrupted, "What do you mean?"

Looking Kallen in the eye, Suzaku asked, "If you were to compare the lives of an Honorary Britannian in the Tokyo Settlement an Eleven living in the Ghetto, it's obvious that the Honorary Britannian would be better off, this you can't deny."

Kallen was about to protest, but think about his words, she hesitantly nodded, before replying, "Y-Yeah, but that doesn't mean it's alright!"

Smiling, Suzaku soothed, "I know that and trust me, so does Lelouch. If you listened closely to what he told you, you would probably realize that he never said anything about it being all right. I know he comes off intimidating and arrogant, but he's actually not that bad. Heck, I thought he was just an arrogant Britannian at first too. At least you only slapped him, I beat him up!"

Kallen gaped, not being able to picture the kind boy beating someone up, even if it was Lelouch. Recalling her conversation with the boy, she blushed, embarrassed at how she had acted towards Lelouch but still feeling that he had deserved it, leading her on like that. She quickly excused herself, trying to get some time to ponder both Lelouch's and Suzaku's words.

Suzaku quickly left afterwards, heading towards the school clubhouse to start on his mountain of homework. Entering the kitchen area, he spotted Lelouch nursing a red cheek with an icepack and laughed. At Lelouch's glare, he said, "Hey, don't look at me! It's your own fault for taunting Kallen like that. You're lucky she decided to stay in character and only slapped you. If it was me, I would have probably ignored the consequences and punched you."

Continuing his glare, Lelouch said, "I had to! She was getting suspicious of me again! I guess you explained everything to her when she ran into you or something didn't you? And as for you punching me, well that shows how much of an idiot you are doesn't it? At least she had a reason to hit me, unlike how you just decided to use me as a punching bag seven years ago."

Scratching his head, Suzaku merely said, "Well, that was then and this is now. Anyways, you're the one who decide to make Kallen punch you. Are you a masochist, Lelouch?"

Dropping his icepack, Lelouch tried vainly to catch Suzaku, who had bolted for the door as soon as he finished his sentence. Giving up, Lelouch shouted "I'll get you for this Suzaku! Don't expect me to help you with your homework anymore, you dumb jerk!"

* * *

Same time

Britannian Courtroom, Area 11

Shinji stood up as the judge called his name. Sweating slightly, he nervously waited for the jury to pronounce their judgement. He had caused an uproar in the media lately, showing up for his trial in his dirtied prison uniform and stunning the crowd by showing up for his trial. As he was recalling what had happened in the last 24 hours, he was suddenly heard, "-ji Hirako! Shinji Hirako!"

Snapping back to attention, Shinji flushed at how everyone was looking at him. Hesitantly, he asked. "Y-Yes?"

Huffing, the representative from the just declared, "We find you, Private Shinji Hirako, acquitted from your charges due to a lack of evidence."

Sighing in relief, he rose once more when the judge closed off the trial and prepared to get back the army base. Putting on his coat and sunglasses to avoid the eager paparazzi, stepped into the sunlight, enjoying the fact that he wouldn't be executed.

* * *

1 hour later

Army Base, Area 11

Shinji knocked on the large metallic door of the office where his major resided. Hearing a faint answer, he pressed the button to open the door and entered swiftly. Stopping before the major's desk, he saluted and looked strait forward, saying, "You wanted to see me, sir?"

Looking up from the pile of paperwork cause by the assassination fiasco, the major said stiffly, "At ease, soldier! Do you know why you're here today?"

"No, sir" Shinji said although he actually DID know. He had learned early on in his army days that the thing superiors hated most was a soldier with a smart mouth, especially if that soldier was an Honorary Britannian.

Nodding, the major continued as if he wasn't stating the obvious and said, "Due to the recent…um…mishap, your identity has been compromised as a soldier. You'll be unable to continue working in the infiltration sector and I heard you were pushing for an engineering job."

Gulping nervously, Shinji confirmed, "Yes, sir. I fell that my knowledge and experience as a car mechanic from before the war would be beneficial."

Grumbling, the major reluctantly revealed, "The army sends it's apologies pertaining to the assassination incident and has considered your offer. You will be transferred to the research sector tomorrow. You have the rest of the day to gather your things and say your good byes. God speed, Private Shinji Hirako."

"Sir, yes sir!" Shinji saluted, not breaking into the grin that was hiding under his serious expression. Closing the door, he let loose his grin and headed to the training center where Ryoga should be. After all, he has a good offer for his friend to consider…

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the late chapter! I was going to post this on Sunday, but some parts seemed strange to me, so I had to go back and change it up a little.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've been thinking about changing the layout of the first few chapters, since the later chapters are longer. What do you guys think of me concentrating the first five chapters into two/three chapter? Does anyone have specific complaints or opinions about doing this. I'm pretty sure that you'll still get chapter alerts even though I'd be posting chapter 7 instead of 10 but if anyone knows else wise, please tell me! ^_^

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~END OF IMPORTANT NOTICE!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Questions!:

Did anyone seem too OOC to you?

Did you like the goofy Lelouch/Suzaku friendly bickering scenes?

Would you like to see more of a certain character (like Shinji)?

Is there something that seems a bit off? Doesn't make sense?

Was there any glaring errors that has to be fixed?

Other than that, any comments and/or opinions would be appreciated!


	10. Step 10: Reappear

A/N: Hey guys! I apologize for being late in posting this chapter, but to be honestly, I think I'll be posting even more infrequently from now on. That's not to say I won't post at LEAST once every two weeks (I'll try to do once a week) but I realized that I've sorely underestimated the workload of two language courses (three if you count my weekly Japanese class), one of which is an honours class. To prove my point, I have 5 writing projects (one fairy tale, one novel study, one literary presentation, one essay and a speech) in two different languages (French and English), so I think that to say my hands are full is an understatement and this isn't even counting the four other classes that I'm taking. To sum it all up, I'M EXTREMELY BUSY AND CAN'T AFFORD TO SPEND SO MUCH TIME ON SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T COUNT FOR MARKS.

A special notice to Animefan29, Ragez, Taira-keimei, and Nxkris for reviewing loyally throughout Code Geass: Steps Untaken. ^_^ (BTW, did you guys know that you've all made it into my Microsoft Word's Vocabulary list? This just proves how consistently you guys review and how lazy I am for not wanting to click 'ignore' every time your names come up. : P)

A shout out to the people above, Akuma's Dawn, Words of Love, Cherub-chan, Tobi, and ndesi62 for reviewing. For those of you who have reviewed multiple times, I apologize for not writing you down up above, but ya know, keep reviewing and you will be! ;)

Now, three, two, one, ZERO! San, ni, ichi, REI!

* * *

Chapter 10 : Reappear

2017 a.t.b.

Warfront, Middle Eastern Federation

Two dark purple Gloucesters tore through the golden white sand, charging towards the target with their gleaming lances and fluttering lances. Behind the two were a small group of less ostentatious frames. The battalion open fired, tearing through the army lines and tanks when all of a sudden, the control centre of the target exploded into flames. Standing on top of the destroyed control center was a vibrant purple knightmare, standing gloriously, surrounded by the flames of victory. Inside the said knightmare, Second Princess Cornelia li Britannia smirked, announcing to her troops "Hmm…it seems like the creatures of the newly created Area 18 have been tamed.

Responding to her statement her royal knight, Guilford reported, "Your Highness, the territory has been secured. It's time for us to pack up."

Smiling at her victory, Cornelia said, "Area 11 will prove a bigger challenge…" while thinking 'I'll find you, Zero and Rei to avenge Clovis. I'll be the one to settle the turbulent land which has robbed me of not two, but now three of my precious siblings.'

* * *

Same time,

Army Quarters, Purist Faction

Three figures huddled together, taking their eyes off the surveillance screen in front of them for a short break. The three members of the purist faction in the army had been enjoying a period of power before the actions of Margrave Gottwald had lead to the distrust against the group. How dare the damn traitor take away the power they had worked so hard to obtain? The first person muttered, "We cannot allow 'orange' to affect the princess' arrival! The performance of the purist faction must be perfect in order to make up for the shameful accident"

The second figure fretted, "At this rate, the loyalty of the purists will be put under question! We cannot allow that to happen because of one traitor."

"What? So it's true that Sir Jeremiah has turned coat? I never thought…" the third muttered, shocked.

Annoyed, the second person demanded, "The explain 'orange'! At any rate, Gottwald is guilty! To say that he doesn't remember, does he really expect us to believe a flimsy excuse?"

Standing in the background, Kewell shifted slightly, uncomfortable as he mentally wondered 'Jeremiah's excuse was the he simply doesn't remember the incident, just like Villetta and I after the Shinjuku incident. If that's really the case, he can't be blamed for this. I must tell Villetta of this at once!'

* * *

Same time,

Tokyo Settlement, Area 11

Suzaku Kururugi stepped out of the shade of the sky train, squinting his eyes as the sun's harsh rays hit eyes, which had spent most of the day staring down into notes and text books. Blinking, Suzaku yawned before walking out of the station, intent on relaxing after soldiering through the piles of homework his teachers had given him. He would have been done so much earlier that day if only Lelouch had given him a hand, but the stubborn prince was still mad about the whole Kallen fiasco and refused to help, leaving Suzaku to brave the depths of chemistry alone.

Sighing at his bull headed best friend, Suzaku took a step forwards only to be pushed strait back as a blur of pink crashed into him. Using his reflexes, Suzaku caught the speeding girl before she fell and let her down gently. Slightly worried, he asked, "Umm…are you alright?"

Looking up, the young woman in her teens grinned sheepishly and said, "Well…actually, I'm being chased by a couple of strange men. Could you possibly help me?"

His eyes widening a bit, Suzaku asked, "Uh…sure?"

Jumping up, either in excitement or in victory, the girl exclaimed, "Yay! Could you show me around the settlement while you're at it then? I'd love to see all the sights!"

Grinning at her infectious excitement, Suzaku explained, "I'm Suzaku Kururugi, by the way. Nice to meet you, miss…"

"My name's…um…Euphie! Nice to meet you too, Suzaku" the girl replied after a brief pause.

Walking down the street, Suzaku discreetly checked behind them, searching for the so-called strange men he was pretty sure didn't exist. Confirming their safety, he asked, "Euphie, why did you lie about people chasing you?"

Not receiving a reply, he turned about and wondered, "Euphie?" only to see a blank space where the girl in question was a moment ago. Looking around, he heaved a sigh of exasperation as he spotted her crouched on the ground, meowing at a stray cat.

Not having heard what Suzaku said, Euphie meowed at the cat, which hissed at her closeness. After several tries however, the cat meowed back cutely, accepting her presence. Beaming, she picked up the feline and made her way back to the smiling Suzaku and explained, "It looks like Mr. Kitty has a hurt paw…"

Indulging the girl, Suzaku asked around the stores until he finally borrowed some first aid equipment, which Euphie then snatched to treat the cat. Finishing her task, she displayed the bandaged cat to Suzaku, who reached out to pet the feline, who promptly bit him. Lifting her hand to hide her slight smile, Euphie could only exclaim, "Oh!"

Settling the cat down, Euphie asked, "Do you dislike cats?"

Chuckling, Suzaku explained, "No, I actually love them, it seems that my love's not returned" Reaching to reattempt petting the cat, he retracted his hand as soon as it started hissing.

Smiling, Euphie said, "Well, they say that kind people are the ones who get caught up in one sided love!" At this statement, the cat, which she had named Arthur, darted off, leaving the two teens to look at where it disappeared.

Taking his eyes off the crowd, Suzaku asked, "Euphie, why did you lie before?"

"Worried about me, huh? Well, then come with me for a bit!" the pink haired girl stated, jumping up from the seat and dashing off.

Following the energetic girl, Suzaku allowed himself to get dragged along, laughing at Euphie's carefree attitude and jokes. Relaxing, he felt himself forgetting his depressing thoughts and finally act like the teen he was.

Looking around at the shopping district, Euphie commented, "Wow, this isn't that different from Britannia, is it?"

"Are you from the motherland, Euphie?" Suzaku asked, wanting to find out more about this intriguing girl.

Nodding, Euphie replied, "Yeah, I was a student there until a week ago."

Stopping by a vendor to buy crepes for both of them, Suzaku looked back and wondered, "Until last week…then what are you now? By student, you mean high schooler, right? I guess you get to have some freedom now."

Looking back to the teen, Euphie accepted the offered crepe and said, "You have a lot of questions, Suzaku."

Scratching his head, Suzaku apologized, "Sorry…I didn't mean to pry…"

Smiling, Euphie shook her head and said, "Nah, that's not what I meant. Today's my last day off for a while, so I wanted to see how Area 11 is before I start working here."

Two hours later, after they had visited all the landmarks of the settlement, Euphie looked Suzaku in the eyes and asked, "Suzaku, there's one last place I wanted to see."

Frowning, Suzaku replied, "Sure, but I'm pretty sure we covered mostly everything."

Looking serious for the first time that day, she asked, "Suzaku, could you show me the Shinjuku Ghetto?"

* * *

Half an hour later

Shinjuku Ghetto, Area 11

Suzaku and Euphemia stood in front of a small cemetery, newly replenished with decorations for the recent dead. Sighing, Suzaku said, "The Shinjuku Ghetto is finished…people were only starting to return and then this happened…"

Respecting the dead with a silent moment, the pair felt a cold breeze pass through before distant voices were heard. Looking up, they saw a pair of teens, Britannians from Ashford as their uniforms showed, who were babbling on about Britannian technology and taking pictures of the carnage as if it was something laughable.

Suddenly, a trio of Japanese appeared, all wearing red ribbons around their foreheads. Smacking the camera the Britannian student was holding, the more aggressive one shouted, "Get out of here, you Britannian pigs!"

His eyes widening as he recognized the foul tempered Tamaki and other member of Ougi's group, Suzaku rushed to help, muttering a "Stay Here" to Euphie.

Meanwhile, the Britannian students took a step back from the violent resistance members. Refusing to swallow their pride, however, one of the boys stuttered, "W-What? You're just Elevens…"

Stepping forwards, Tamaki exclaimed, "We're Japanese, you brats! Don't you dare call us Elevens!"

Backing his friend, the second student retorted, "What do you mean? You're just a part of a beaten country. You guys lost to us!"

Clenching his fist, Tamaki gritted, "You…" before throwing a punch.

Dashing towards the scene, Suzaku exclaimed, "Please stop! Don't resort to violence"

While everyone turned around to see the new figure, Suzaku dashed to stand between the terrorists and the students as Tamaki lashed out. Dodging the attack, Suzaku stared at the resistance members as the students behind him gasped. Gasping, one of them said, "I-It's you! The new student, the one who hangs with the student council like he's better than the rest of us. Heard he fought James and won too!"

Slightly shocked at the revelation, Tamaki snorted and said, "A slave to Britannia huh? How dare you become an Honorary Britannian, selling your pride, comrades and soul… You're not even Japanese!"

His eyes filled with hurt, Suzaku exclaimed, "T-That's not it-"

"THAT IS IT!" Tamaki interrupted running forwards with his fist extended, "Don't even try to deny it!"

Defending himself by throwing Tamaki on the ground, Suzaku protest, "Please stop fighting! I'm trained in combat and I don't want to hurt you!"

Spitting on the ground, Tamaki said, "Who the hell cares! I won't stand down just because it seems futile like you wimpy bastards"

Realizing that things had gotten too far, Yoshida stepped in and said, "That's enough" signalling for the other two to leave with him.

Sighing at having diffused the problem, Suzaku was shocked when the students he had been trying to protect demanded, "My camera! You! Why weren't you here earlier to help us? And why didn't you finish them off? If you took care of James, why didn't you kill those guys? Why didn't you act like the servant to Britannians you are-"

At this point, Euphie had caught up to the group and promptly slapped the outraged student. Looking down coolly on the teen, she stated "I will not allow you to insult him any longer!"

After chasing away the snobbish Britannian students, Euphie turned around slowly, asking as both her voice and eyes softened, "You go to the same school as those two then?"

Not knowing what to say, Suzaku mumbled, "Um…yeah…my friend kind off pushed me into it, but it's not all bad. Most kids at Ashford are decent, and I'm grateful…"

Just as Euphie was about to reply, their conversation was abruptly interrupted by the sound of bullets. Whipping his head towards the noise, Suzaku dashed off, shouting, "Don't follow me, Euphie, it's too dangerous!"

* * *

5 Minutes later

Freeway, Area 11

Jeremiah hurrily sprinted off, barking at his earpiece, "Are you certain that the terrorists are in Shinjuku right now?"

"Yes, sir!" a voice responded

Grumbling about not having the time to grab a knightmare nor call for backup, the margrave rushed off, heading towards the coordinates he had been given. Heading into the broken amphitheatre, Jeremiah grabbed his gun as he sneaked in. Seeing a group of soldiers already there, he straitened up and demanded, "Soldier! What's the situation here? I heard a report about spotting a terrorist."

Turning around to see margrave the soldier sneered and said, "I'm afraid the only criminal here is you, Gottwald!"

Rearing back in surprise, he demanded, "What to you mean, soldier? That sounds dangerously close to insubordination!"

"Someone like you shouldn't complain about not following orders, Orange!" the soldier mocked.

Glaring at the unconcealed insult, Jeremiah snapped, "I've been cleared of all charges and you know that! You on the other hand, have deliberately insulted a superior! ARREST HIM!" when no one responded, he continued, "Have you all turned your backs on Britannia now?"

At this, the first soldier raised a gun and pointed it at the surprised margrave. "We didn't betray Britannia, we're protecting it from traitorous rats like you!"

Taken aback, Jeremiah demanded incredulously, "Are you serious?"

Deciding that actions speak louder than words, the soldier pulled the trigger, making a scattering of holes around Gottwald's feet. Gulping, Jeremiah gritted out "I see…" while tightly gripping his gun, which was sitting next to his hips.

Just as he was about to act, a voice cried out, "Please stop!"

Whipping his head around, Jeremiah spotted the owner of the voice, a Japanese teen who was running towards them as if he didn't know of the dangers ahead. Before he could utter a word, however, the leader of the soldiers exclaimed, "What's this, Gottwald? Have you stooped so low as to hire Eleven scum to help you?"

Just as he was about to retort, Jeremiah was distracted yet again by the entrance of two other soldiers, this time people who he recognized. Seeing his fellow comrades approach, he asked bitterly, "Kewell, Villetta, are you here to help me, or are you guys here because you think I betrayed the army too?"

Shaking her head, Villetta exclaimed, "We're here to help you, Jeremiah."

Grinning grimly at the sight, Kewell supported, "I don't think you would do anything like this. If you claim you don't remember, I believe you."

"Kewell! How dare you betray us like this? Has that woman charmed the sense out of you fool?" the soldier demanded. An awkward shuffling noise alerted his attention elsewhere though, and the soldier found himself pointing his gun to Suzaku, who was just standing there. His eyes narrowing, he seethed, "And you…who are you to interrupt this? An Eleven like you should just stay quiet and bow down!" At his words, the soldier whipped his gun towards the teen, intent on hitting the boy.

"STOP! What are you doing?" a feminine voice shouted loudly. Looking up, Suzaku saw Euphie dashing onto the scene, finally catching up to Suzaku and standing in front of him as if trying to block the blow. `

Gritting hid teeth, the soldier exclaimed, "What's with all you people trying to interrupt me today? Who are you to try and order me around, girl?"

Standing proudly, Euphie assumed a look of utter superiority as she calmly stated, "You are addressing the third princess of the Holy Empire Britannia, Euphemia li Britannia! Under my name, I order both sides to lower their weapons!"

Shocked, Jeremiah looked the pink haired teen and recalled a young child visiting the Aries Villa all those years ago. Seeing the similarity, he muttered, "I-It's really her! Your Royal Highness, Princess Euphemia!"

Noting his reaction, everyone accepted the fact and bowed, saying in a chorus, "Your Highness, we deeply apologize for our actions!"

Seeing the soldiers bow down to the girl he had considered friend, Suzaku dropped to his knee and said, "Your Highness. Not only have I not noticed, I acted rudely towards you! I deeply apologize!"

Turning back the teen who had spent the day with her, Euphemia said slightly sadly, "Rise, Suzaku. You have nothing to apologize for since I didn't find it necessary to tell you who I really was. I had fun today and I think I've learned what I should do as the new vice-viceroy of Area 11. Thank you for taking me around today, I consider you a friend and if you should ever need my assistance, feel free to call my number."

Bowing to the princess, Suzaku replied, "Y-Yes Your Highness. Thank you for your kindness, although I do not deserve it."

Understanding his position, Euphie nodded and signalled for the soldiers to take their leave and wait for her outside. Once the sight of their backs had disappeared, she whispered, "Suzaku, I honestly wanted to be your friend, but my status doesn't allow me to get out much. Today was the last day I had of freedom before I'll be stuck working and hiding from the paparazzi. Thank you for making it a worthwhile day. I honestly hope that we'll be able to stay in contact…"

"Euphie, I would be happy to. I understand all to well how social status is not as wonderful as it sounds." Suzaku replied, startled but pleased at Euphemia's confession.

Genuinely smiling, Euphemia said, "Then I'll take my leave for now Suzaku." And disappeared into the sunset.

* * *

1 hour later

Council Clubhouse, Ashford Academy

Lelouch typed out the results of his research in the kitchen with a cup of coffee and a bored C.C. at his side. Hearing the automatic door slide open, he turned around and spotted Suzaku. "You're late, Suzaku. Nunnally wanted to wait for you to eat dinner, but it got too late. I left some of it in the fridge for you though, so feel free to eat it if you're hungry."

Walking past the table, Suzaku opened the fridge to expose the chicken potpie and microwaved it. Turning back to face Lelouch, he said, "Thanks Lelouch… So, what are you doing?"

Going back to typing, Lelouch replied, "I'm entering in the results of some testing I was doing on the Geass…."

Whipping his eyes away from the potpie he had been eating, Suzaku almost choked as he cleared his throat of food and sputtered, "Testing? What are you talking about, Lelouch?"

Looking up at his reaction, Lelouch soothed, "Relax, it was harmless. I was trying to find the specs for the geass. It's imperative that I know its limits before try to I use it in battle, where an unexpected response could cost lives. I dare say I didn't do any damage and found out a whole lot too."

Glaring at the teen, Suzaku exclaimed, "Lelouch! I understand that it needed to be done, but you need to act more humane about this. People aren't just pawns in a game! You should know and understand that more than anyone!"

Scowling at Suzaku's reference of his past, Lelouch forced himself to see the truth in his words. Concealing his concession, he said curtly, "Fine. Do you want to hear the results or what?"

Noticing Lelouch's reaction and allowing him to keep his pride, Suzaku gestured for Lelouch to continue. Looking back at his results, Lelouch reported, "To apply geass, the eye contact is necessary. The geass seems to be able to bypass glasses and has light properties that allow it to be reflected off of mirrors and other such surfaces. The maximum distance is about 270 metres and can affect multiple people at once. Once under geass, the person then suffers short-term memory loss that causes them to forget what happens slightly before and during the order. The loss is probably due to the rewriting of the cerebrum to allow for the order to be processed."

Swallowing back the bile that had risen from the potent abilities of the geass, Suzaku said faintly, "Hey Lelouch, how did you get this information so quickly? Exactly how many people have you tested it on?"

Looking away, Lelouch muttered, "Let's just say that a lot of girls at Ashford will no longer be susceptible to my geass…"

Frowning, Suzaku said, "Well, no more testing for you Lelouch. You've got your results, so don't blame me if I punch you the next time you do this without talking it out with me."

His eyes narrowing at the steel underneath Suzaku's reprimand, Lelouch stated, "Fine."

Amused, C.C. spoke up, "You guys know that you're up against an empire that controls more than a third of the world, right? Do you really think that one geass would be strong enough to defeat it?"

Staring into space, Lelouch asked deceptively calmly, "Would it work if I was just strong?"

Nodding, Suzaku continued, "Is it that wrong to be weak? To us, when we were 10, the world seemed like such a terrible place. Fear, sickness…"

"Corruption, decay…" Lelouch listed.

Solemnly, Suzaku stated, "Discrimination"

"War and terrorism…" Lelouch said.

Looking down, Suzaku explained, "The repeated cycle of hatred…"

"A foolish and vicious cycle…" Lelouch said bitterly.

"Someone MUST break the chain apart" Suzaku determinedly said.

Looking back and forth between the two teens, both looking too old for their age, C.C. blandly remarked, "You guys are quite idealistic…"

Scoffing, Suzaku replied, "Of course, I don't think I could get rid of all of that…"

Looking back at his best friend, Lelouch admitted, "Even I'm not that arrogant. But for those of us who have lost so much due to war, is a world without war too much to ask?"

Locking eyes with Lelouch, Suzaku sighed and continued, "A world where we don't have to lose any more people dear to us…"

Still unfazed, C.C. looked up to the sky, hiding her face as she stated, "Such a convenient world, what can you guys do to achieve that?"

To this, Suzaku fell silent while Lelouch reached out to the chessboard next to the laptop and tipped over the white king and answered, "That's simple. The war will end when someone wins…"

* * *

Trying to lighten the dark mood, Suzaku broke the silence with "Oh yeah, you'll never believe who I met in the settlement today."

His eyebrows rising, Lelouch stated. "If you think I wouldn't be able to guess, I doubt that I could. Just tell me…"

Grinning, Suzaku said. "Your sister!"

His eyes widening, Lelouch demanded, "WHAT? Which one? Wait…Suzaku, how did you know that she was my sister?"

Recalling the event of the day, Suzaku explained what had happened, only to stop when Lelouch glared at the fact that Suzaku had rushed into the military dispute. His mind barely comprehending the fact that his sister Euphemia, one of the two he actually cared about, had come to Area 11 and that Suzaku had actually ran into her. Shaking his head, Lelouch replied, "Geez Suzaku, you sure have the best luck in meeting Britannian royalty. Not only have you run into me and Nunnally, you manage to meet the kindest official princess of Britannia in the same week!"

Grinning, Suzaku teased, "I can't seem to get away from your family even if I wanted too!"

Smirking, Lelouch replied, "So, Suzaku, what do you think of my sister?"

Shocked, Suzaku sputtered, "W-What?"

Giving his friend a glare, Lelouch replied, "She might not know I'm alive, but she's still my sister you know. Do I really have to give you the whole 'hurt her and die speech'?"

Choking on plain air, Suzaku replied, "First of all, even though I can understand where you're coming from, do you really think you could 'kill' me? More importantly, WE'RE JUST FRIENDS!"

Chuckling, Lelouch said darkly, "Oh, don't underestimate what I can do to make your life miserable, Suzaku…"

Shuddering, Suzaku said, "L-Let's just drop this topic…"

Nodding, Lelouch replied, "Yeah, if I know anything about the li Britannia siblings, where Euphemia is, Cornelia follows. Since she said that she was going to be vice-viceroy, I'd bet on the fact that Cornelia will be the Viceroy. A wise choice, I must admit, since Cornelia is regarded as the goddess of victory. We'll have to be wary of her. Dealing with Clovis will be like child's play compared to her…"

Gulping, Suzaku asked, "Is she that dangerous?"

Searching up news online, Lelouch reported, "She's coming from the recently christened the new Area 18 with battle tested troops fresh from battle. If she could take down the Middle Eastern Federation, she's a competent leader at the very least."

Understanding the danger, Suzaku asked, "What are we going to do then"

Lelouch sat back, his eyes closing for a few minutes as he thought out a plan. Suddenly, he sat back up with a grin and started typing furiously on his laptop. Having seemingly found what he was looking for, he laughed triumphantly as he stated, "We act first. If we can't predict her actions for the moment, we'll seal them. It seems like the tape you recorded in Shinjuku will become useful after all…"

* * *

Next day,

Ashford Academy, Area 11

Lelouch looked into a wide window in an unused hallway, listening to Ougi's startling report about the fall of the 'Blood of the Samurai' terrorist faction. Reassuring the man that he had a plan, Lelouch ended the call and descended the stairs to reach the gym locker area. Hearing the sound of running water, he headed towards the sound, only to find a familiar figure crouched at a sink. Approaching the teen quietly, Lelouch asked, "Suzaku, what are you doing?"

Almost jumping out of his skin, Suzaku yelped, "L-Lelouch!" while hiding his dirty gym clothes behind his back.

His eyes narrowing, Lelouch swiftly grabbed what Suzaku was trying to hide with more speed than what he seemed to have and held it up to the light. Seeing the red paint on the white T-Shirt stating degrading statements, Lelouch glared and asked, "Why are you hiding this?"

Shuffling, Suzaku replied, "W-Well, it's not as if I can stop it from happening…"

"I just don't see how you do it…" Lelouch sighed, "How can you take being treated like that, Suzaku?"

Shrugging, the Japanese teen explained, "I'm just used to it after my stint in the army I guess….Besides, you know as well as I that most of them only feel this way because of Britannia's propaganda…"

Huffing, Lelouch protested, "Still, they should know better…If I could understand it when I was ten, they aught to be able to see it now!"

Shaking his head, Suzaku said, "Well, we can't all be genius' like you Lelouch…"

Snorting, Lelouch replied, "You don't need to BE a genius to get it. Anyone with eyes and a useful brain can see it. For now though, I suggest that you leave that at the clubhouse to see if Sayoko-san can get the stuff out. For now, you can just borrow my stuff, I don't use it anyways…"

"You just want to get out of gym, don't you Lelouch?" Suzaku commented amusedly, not falling for the Britannian teen's trick.

"Why of course, Suzaku. If I didn't like exercise ten years ago, what makes you think I like it now? Besides, no one's going to pick at my stuff, they wouldn't dare…." Lelouch said unashamedly. "Anyways, we better get back to class before the teacher gets mad again."

Suzaku snorted, "Yeah, cause making teachers mad affect you SO much, Lelouch" but followed the boy back upstairs none the less

Neither boy noticed the red haired girl hiding behind some of the lockers 'Hmmm…Lelouch Lamperouge might not be such a bad guy after all…'

* * *

2 hours later

School Council Clubhouse, Ashford Academy

Lelouch wrestled with a stubborn part of fabric that refused to comply with his ministrations. Having ditched PE with the excuse of not having his uniform, he had padded of back into his room. At the moment, he was trying to build a hidden container for his costume. Since Zero and Rei have made a debut, he couldn't afford for people to walk in and randomly find the unique and condemning mask. He would have to test the contraption with his own costume before repeating it for Suzaku's. Fiddling with straps, he heard the whirl of the automatic door and the smell of cheese. At the door, C.C. held a pizza box, not noticing a particular grey cat that followed her inside. Looking at her accomplice, she asked, "A hiding place for your costume?"

Not looking up, Lelouch explained, "Unlike geass, it can be used as physical evidence…"

Before he could continue, Nunnally appeared at the door, wondering, "Brother, do I smell pizza, again?"

Unsurprised, Lelouch explained, "I'm trying to save up points, Nunnally. I'll be right down though."

Smiling, Nunnally teased, "Are you sure you're not getting a little chubby? Maybe around your middle?"

Concentrating on his sister, Lelouch said, "That's not a very nice thing to ask, Nunnally!" while standing up, deciding that the mask could wait, not noticing a certain curious cat.

* * *

C.C. looked on silently, deciding not to reveal her presence to the blind girl. Hearing a thump, she turned around to see the case Lelouch had placed on the bed on the floor. Staring, she tried to locate the mask while a masked feline made his way past her feet. Not seeing the mask, she heard the automatic door close again, confused, she muttered, "Huh?"

* * *

Drinking tea with his beloved sister, Lelouch took a sip while Nunnally talked about how her day was going. Just as he was about to comment, his eyes darted to the side, spotting a strange sight. A grey cat with a bandaged paw had somehow found a way into the clubhouse, what's more, it was wearing his mask! Sputtering, he shouted, "W-Wah! Hey, come back here!" dashing off in search of the cat. Confused, Nunnally tilted her head, wondering what had just occurred.

Dashing off to try and catch the kitty, Lelouch jumped out the window, trying to follow the cat, which agilely leapt onto the porch next to the window. Landing slightly awkwardly, Lelouch muttered, "No! This is not funny! There's no way I'll be exposed because of a stupid cat!" heading after the cat which dashed off in the direction of Ashford Academy.

* * *

Back at the clubhouse, Nunnally was discussing what had just happened with Milly, Rivalz and Nina. Sharing her story, she said, "A cat took something from my brother. I don't know what it is, but I'm sure it was important. I've never heard him shout like that after all…"

Putting his arms on his sides, Rivalz wondered out loud, "What could it be, Lelouch's important thing?"

Racking her brain, Nina proposed, "A love letter?"

Smirking confidently, Milly said excitedly, "An embarrassing photography? Whatever it is, Nunnally, we'll get it before Lelouch does! It's not everyday that we get blackmail on our vice-president after all!"

* * *

Inside the school courtyard, Lelouch was failing miserably at catching the cat. Not being able to spare air for taking, he mentally debated, 'Damn, if there were terrorists here, I could initiate a plan. Who can I get to help me? Suzaku? No, he's in gym class and getting him out of it will be troublesome. Kallen? I can't have her suspecting me more after Suzaku messed my plan up! I'll have to work this out on my own…" Distracted, he ran into a bush as the cat quickly dodged him, heading towards the school doors.

Taking precious seconds to recover slightly, Lelouch rushed into the busy hallways, where he spotted two confused girls staring at a corridor. Deducing that they had seen the cat, Lelouch activated his geass and commanded, "**You'll forget what you just saw and forget this happened.**"

Dashing off, Lelouch heard the announcements turn on. Wondering what could possibly go wrong, he almost chocked as he heard Milly's voice declared, "This is president Milly Ashford of the School Council speaking! This is about a cat! Please catch the cat that's currently running through the school. All club activities will be put on hold and the clubs that will participate will get their funds increased. Also, the person to hand me the cat will receive a special prize: A KISS FROM A STUDENT COUNCIL MEMBER!"

* * *

Looking up from what they were separately doing, Shirley and Kallen looked up, realizing, "S-Student council member? You mean, like me?" Looking around, both girls saw the gleam in various boys' eyes, they shuddered, determined to catch the cat to save their first kisses.

* * *

Still after the cat, Lelouch muttered, "What have you DONE, Madame President!" Running to the bell tower, Lelouch paused as he saw Suzaku in his gym uniform. Shocked, he asked, "Suzaku, you're after the cat too?"

Stopping at the sight of Lelouch, Suzaku said, "Yeah, it's the president's orders after all. Why are YOU chasing the cat, Lelouch?"

Embarrassed, Lelouch said, "The damn cat got my Zero mask!"

His eyes widening, Suzaku exclaimed, "How the hell did that happen? Never mind, I'll go after it. I think it's the one I saw yesterday with Euphie." As he said this, the teen ran up the stairs."

"W-Wait, Suzaku!" Lelouch protested, realizing that Suzaku had not realized the prize of the chase. Seeing Suzaku already dashing off, he huffed and started sprinting up the stairs.

Not listening, Suzaku ran all the way to the roof of the bell tower and started climbing up on the roof to reach the bell fry where the cat rested. Catching up, Lelouch crawled onto the roof, trying to follow the more active teen before accidentally slipping on a tile. Sliding down slowly, he yelped. Turning back to see what had caused the noise, Suzaku gasped at the sight of Lelouch almost sliding off the roof. Acting quickly, he slid down purposefully, grapping Lelouch's hand with one hand and gripping the windowsill with the other. Hoisting the teen up, he said, "Geez, Lelouch, do you really think you could actually do what I was going to do?"

Huffing, Lelouch said, "Never you mind, Suzaku. You head down with the cat now to face the crowd. I'll have to hide the mask first."

Nodding Suzaku grasped the grey cat from Tokyo and descended the stairway. Looking up, he hesitated as he say the silent crowd. Just as he was about to utter something idiotic, he stopped as Shirley ran up to him and said, "Suzaku! Thanks for saving Lulu!"

Grinning, the rest of the student council crowded around him while Milly demanded, "Hey Suzaku, did you see the cat holding something?"

Knowing that Milly was talking about Lelouch's mask, Suzaku lied, "N-No, I don't think so…"

Coming out to the crowd, Lelouch said, "So THAT'S what you were up to, Madame President.

Not guilty at all, Milly replied, "It's not every day I could have gotten blackmail off of you, you know."

* * *

3 hours later

School Assembly hall, Ashford Academy

Rows upon rows of students stood upright, viewing the funeral ceremony of his Highness Clovis la Britannia, the former third prince and viceroy of Area 11. Watching the screen filming the ceremony in Britannia, Lelouch gritted his teeth as the announcer unknowingly spoke of his brother in a rose tinted view. As if it wasn't enough, the man then announced the arrival of the Emperor himself. Clamping his jaw shut, squeezing his fists and narrowing his eyes, Lelouch seethed as his 'father' declared, "All men are not created equal. Some are born swifter of foot, some with greater beauty. Some are born into poverty, and others born sick and feeble. Both in birth and in upbringing, in sheer scope of ability, every human is inherently different. That is why people discriminate against one another, which is why there is struggle, competition, and the unfaltering march of progress. Inequality is not wrong; equality is!"

On Lelouch's right hand side, Suzaku couldn't believe how the Emperor was delivering a motivational speech at his son's funeral. Despite his disbelieve, he continued to listen, hearing the ruler of Britannia impose, "What is happening in the EU, where they treat everyone equally? They've been riddled with mob-controlled governments. What of the Chinese Federation? Their government it filled with negligence and riddled with corruption! Britannia is not like that! We fight, we compete, and we change! That is what allows us to continuously evolve and become an Empire destined to enter the future! My son's death is proof of this! We will fight, compete, take, possess and control! In that, we will find the future. ALL HAIL BRITANNIA!"

* * *

3 hours later

Council Clubhouse, Ashford Academy

Lelouch sat in his room, making way for Suzaku, who had joined him to watch the unraveling of his plan. Turning on the TV, Lelouch said, "If my little gamble's paid off, it should come on right now…"

Switching the channel to the news broadcast, Lelouch grinned as Diethard, the journalist he had spotted during the prisoner exchange showed up. Looking like a excited school boy, Diethard looked right at the camera and dramatically stated, "Ladies and Gentlemen: Today, we have a special treat! We, at the Hi-TV studio, have received a clip from Zero and Rei themselves, the mysterious characters who showed up to clear the name of Shinji Hirako. We have been ordered to show this at 8:00 pm and not view it before hand, so we cannot know what is on this clip. Now, without further delay, here's the video!"

Lelouch frowned as Suzaku looked at him and defended, "What? I didn't threaten the guy. He probably said that so the Britannian government couldn't act against them. I never told them they couldn't watch it before hand either, but I admit he sure knows how to draw attention."

Accepting the statement, Suzaku turned his attention back to the TV screen, where pictures of Shinjuku were flashing.

A bullet ridden cement wall, the ground sprayed with blood, the dust rising as a building crumbled. During the slideshow, an electronic voice, distinctively Zero's, stated, "There's been much talk of the Shinjuku Incident, criticism of the terrorists actions and praise for the army's efforts to defend peace, but are those an actually the truth?"

Small crosses sticking out of the dirt with small offerings surrounding it shows the hidden sadness caused by what's buried underneath the ground. The bodies of a family, a mother, father, and child with bullets lodged it their foreheads appeared, and the camera zoomed closer. "Does THIS look like justice to you? Do you honestly think that this is the result of a terrorists' actions?"

A group of harmless civilians were herded next to a cement wall by armed soldiers. When one of the men asked what was going on, the soldiers cocked their guns, sending a spray of bullets as a response. Terrified, the group scattered, but all were gunned down. "Tell me, did the army promise a chance to serve a glorious country, a chance to defend peace? DOES THIS LOOK LIKE THE PRESERVATION OF PEACE? This is what your friends, husbands and sons are doing, under the orders of the now deceased Prince Clovis…"

Knightmares are seen deploying, firing their weapons to destroy buildings. A crying child clutching a blood sodden teddy bear sat in the middle of the rubble. The bodies of her parents next to her, hands reaching her as if to try and protect their child even in death. "The truth had been hidden from you, Britannian citizens. THE ARMY HAS LIED! The horrible casualties in Shinjuku were not caused by the release of poison gas by the terrorists; it was caused by a childish and cruel act from his 'highness' CLOVIS LA BRITANNIA! THE HUNDREDS OF DEATHS AT SHINJUKU ARE ON HIS HEAD!"

A short clipped played of several knightmares were destroyed from the attackers point of view. His blood cooling, Suzaku realized it was him who had piloted. "This is what Rei and I have been trying to do. Vanquishing the soldiers who dare to attack innocent civilians. The injustice at Shinjuku was what triggered our rage. The false accusation of Shinji Hirako was what prompted us to appear. The people in both the government and the army have been warned. MISUSED YOUR POWER AND WE SHALL ACT! I AM ZERO AND WITH REI AT MY SIDE, JUSTICE WILL BE SERVED!"

* * *

A/N: Phew! An important chapter down! Small (or maybe big) deviations from the CG plotline.

Just one thing, I'm not really planning on writing any romance into Steps Untaken, but feel free to suggest pairings you would like to see be hinted at.

Questions!:

-Does anyone seem OOC (I ask this every chapter :P)

-Did you like what I did with the video of Shinjuku?

-Did you guys like how I incorporated the Lelouch/Suzaku speech?

-Do you like the fact that Suzaku met Euphie?

-Does Lelouch and Suzaku stick together like glue?

-Does something seem irrational or illogical to you?

All opinions, critiques, and comments are appreciated! Please tell me what you think of my story!


	11. Step 11: Reaffirm

A/N: Hey guys, this is manga-otaku here! I'm feeling really guilty for not posting earlier like I promised, I ran into problems at school AGAIN. After writing a couple of essays and projects, my muse was just gone and I suffered through writers block for the first time…Anyways, I feel like my life's back on track now that I'm on spring break and hopefully, inspiration won't abandon me again.

A note for all readers: It's been brought to my attention that I didn't adequately explain how Diethard got the video last chapter. In my mind, he simply received it by mail when Lelouch stopped by the building and geassed someone to do it. Lelouch actually did NOT threaten Diethard; he just made that up so the army couldn't publicly pursue him for spreading Zero/Rei propaganda.

To Taira-keimei (x 2), Ragez, Animefan29, Ndesi62, Words of Love, Cherubchan, Darth Lelouch, Freyasakura, Sakurahanaalice, Anon (x 3), Sony Ninja, JC, Aisukage-Naruto, Superl8, RyougaZell, Val'tanelle, and Llyhael Aquila: Thanks for reviewing!

To answer Anon, who I couldn't PM: Lelouch knew that Kallen was the red knightmare's pilot since he saw her board it before the first chapter began, like how he did in CG. I didn't add that part onto the story since the plotline is exactly the same as Steps Untaken. As for the royal guards, if you recall, in Chapter 6, didn't die since Suzaku knocked them out. If you're talking about the person who was sent to find the girl, I think he would have been killed in the crossfire. He might revive one day if I need him to, but I don't think that's likely at the moment. Suzaku's identity isn't compromised since he was wearing the entire soldier outfit, helmet/face-blocking thingy included.

* * *

Last time:

A short clipped played of several knightmares were destroyed from the attacker's point of view. His blood cooling, Suzaku realized it was him who had piloted. "This is what Rei and I have been trying to do. Vanquishing the soldiers who dare to attack innocent civilians. The injustice at Shinjuku was what triggered our rage. The false accusation of Shinji Hirako was what prompted us to appear. The people in both the government and the army have been warned. MISUSED YOUR POWER AND WE SHALL ACT! I AM ZERO AND WITH REI AT MY SIDE, JUSTICE WILL BE SERVED!"

* * *

Step 11: Reaffirm

2017 a.t.b.

Army Base, Area 11

Cornelia li Britannia gritted her teeth, slamming her hands onto the table in outrage as the video finished playing and Diethard retook the screen. Seeing her anger-blazing eyes, the other members of the war council leaned back, intimidated by the fierce war goddess. Before the sudden interruption, the viceroy had been talking to her commanders, discussing the plans for a ghetto raid at Saitama to replicate Shinjuku and lure out the masked figures, but having seen the recording, their plans crumbled before them. Zero had struck first.

Hands against her forehead, Cornelia said what was on the minds of every person there. "This annuls all our plans for Saitama. Public opinions about the army will be hard enough to deal with as it is now, let alone with a second attack. There were already rumours running around and the video would have added fuel to the forest fire…How the hell did they get their hands on film like that anyways? The last slide was definitely recorded from one of our knightmare frames!"

Sweating, a commander revealed, "It seems that during the skirmish, the terrorists somehow managed to get their hands on twelve of our Sutherlands. The ones who ordered the stolen knightmares belonged to the Purist faction, comrades of Jeremiah Gottwald from the execution fiasco, Villetta Nu and Kewell Soresi. Curiously, it seems that neither of them recall giving the order even though we've got recorded versions of their commands…"

The commander stopped speaking as soon as a growl erupted from Cornelia. "If they claim not to remember, then they're as good as guilty. I will have Guilford take care of them. Is there something else that need to be said?"

At the silence that ensued, Cornelia sighed and said, "Then this meeting is adjourned. I will notify you as soon as countermeasures against the clip have been set up."

As the other members of the council, with the noticeable exception of Guildford and Darlton departed, Cornelia removed her cold mask and slumped back onto her chair. Placing her elbows on the table and placing her hands back onto her forehead, Cornelia looked down and muttered, "Clovis, my dear brother, did you really do as Zero claimed? What happened to the you I knew, the one who loved art more than war? What happened to the goals of settling down Area 11 for Lelouch and Nunnally's sake?"

Hearing their princess' worries, Guildford said, "Your highness, I'm sure His highness Clovis had the best intentions at heart. Perhaps it was an ill-made judgement due to his lack of experience in warfare that lead to this…"

Nodding at her knight's wise words, Cornelia stood up and walked to the door, once again putting up a cool and calm mask as she fretted internally, 'Clovis, no matter what you've done, you're my dearest brother and your murder will not go unpunished…Damn Zero for making you out to be a villain in all of this, but I can't help but think that he has a point! This news will devastate Euphie…'

* * *

Student Council Meeting Room,

Ashford Academy, Area 11

A pair of girls worked, one red headed and one orange haired, next to a contraption that would soon become a cat house for Arthur. Lifting her head away from the cardboard box that held the newly bought cat toys, Kallen hesitantly said, "Hey Shirley, can I ask you about something?"

Turning around from the cat house she was constructing, Shirley replied, "Sure Kallen, what is it?"

Her mind thinking of a certain ebony haired, Japanese-speaking teen, Kallen asked, "What kind of person is Lelouch?"

"W-What? Lulu? Umm…why do you ask, Kallen? D-Do you like him?" Shirley stuttered, blushing all the while. Her heart pounded at the mere mention of his name but despaired that her new friend might well become a competitor for Lelouch's heart.

Shocked at the probing question, Kallen blushed and said, "N-NO! I was just wondering since I always see him with Suzaku even though he's an Honorary Britannian…He seems so cold and cut off, but when I see him with his sister…"

Smiling, Shirley said, "I know what you mean. When I first met him, he seemed so aloof and arrogant, not really trying hard or being serious at all…to be frank, I didn't like him one bit! But then, in our first year of high school, I saw this traffic accident. There was this elderly couple who had collided with a rough looking guy and no matter how you look at it, the guy was at fault, but when he tried to press for charges, no one would speak up! That was when Lelouch came in, verbally backing the guy into a corner and offering to pay for the damages so that the elderly couple wasn't blamed at all. He wasn't doing to look good, in fact, he just looked as bored as always, so I started wondering what he was think about behind that cold exterior of his…"

"Shirley…you like Lelouch, don't you?" Kallen asked, noticing her love-struck expression.

"Y-Yeah…" Shirley admitted, facing away to hide her red face. "B-But, if you like Lulu too, tha-"

"W-Wha?" Kallen protested, "No! I was just curious!"

Just as Shirley was about reply, the sound of the automatic door opening sent both girls jumping. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Kallen hurriedly said, "A-Anyways, I've got to go now, Shirley! I'll see you later! I honestly did mean what I said though!" and dashed off, almost bumping into Suzaku, who had entered the room with a new cat toy for a certain feline. Running off, Kallen thought 'There seems to be so much more to Lelouch than what most people see. Maybe it's all an act to him; like how being a sickly Britannian is an act to me…He's smart enough to see Britannian hypocrisy for what it is, but not confident enough to act on it, or maybe that's another act! Even if he's not Zero, Lelouch isn't so bad, for a Britannian anyways…'

Tearing his gaze from the now departing Kallen, Suzaku looked at the blushing Shirley. Naively, he asked hesitantly, "Uhhh, did something happen, Shirley?" only to see Shirley run past him just like a certain redhead. No standing in an empty meeting room, Suzaku tilted his head in confusion before deciding to introduce Arthur to his new toy.

* * *

1 day later

Shinjuku Ghetto, Area 11

Suzaku stared at the luxury van that stood out like a sore thumb in the desolate backdrop of the Shinjuku Ghetto. Following Lelouch, he looked on in wonder at what the van contained as Lelouch explained what his plans for the rebellion were. Grabbing his Rei uniform, a row of which hung right next to a row of Zero outfits (trust Lelouch to have multiple costumes in case of wear & tear) he quickly changed as he heard the sounds of footsteps outside the van.

Making sure he was out of sight for the moment, he listened in to the conversation between Ougi and Zero. Just as Lelouch mentioned getting the van by plain asking, Suzaku grinned. It had taken him a few tries, but he had gotten Lelouch to resort to bribing/threatening the noble to give away the van instead of plain stealing it. Geass was only used to ensure the man didn't blab to the officials, a fact that Suzaku was very proud of. Lelouch wasn't going to get away with abusing his ability, at least not on his watch! Putting on his helmet, he emerged from the second story, walking down the stairs to where the group conjugated just as Yoshida turned on the T.V.

After a round of greetings, he made his way to where Zero was, lounging on the couch while the rest crowded around the TV, where a news broadcast of a hostage situation at a hotel was playing. As soon as Kallen muttered the words Student council, however, he whirled around, watching the black and white footage of Shirley, Nina and Milly being held at gunpoint. Looking back to Zero, who was sitting deceptively calmly, he asked, _"What are we going to do?"_

As soon as he said this, Tamaki wondered, _"What do you mean do? Do you wanna help the JLF or something?"_

Shocked, Rei turned around and demanded, _"Do you really think that we'd side with the JLF in this instance? Do you honestly agree with their methods?"_

Taken back at the tone of their leader's voice, Tamaki muttered, _"N-No…But else could we do? Are we really going to help Britannians? They totally deserve what the get-"_

Shutting off his cellphone, Zero's mask tilted up as soon as he heard Tamaki's words. Coldly, he asked, _"Did you chose YOUR parents, Tamaki?"_

"…_No?"_ Tamaki replied at the sudden question, not knowing where the masked man was going while Kallen listened intently, trying to learn about Zero's philosophy.

Nodding, Zero continued, _"Then what makes you think that those Britannians chose theirs? They're no different from us, just uneducated on the basics of right and wrong. They've been fed Britannian propaganda since childhood, fighting their way through Britannia's social Darwinism to succeed. Do you really think they're that much better off than the rest of us?"_

Tamaki looked away, not knowing what to say without humiliating himself further. As the rest of his comrades looked on silently, Lelouch signalled for Rei to follow him upstairs. Seeing the sign from seven years ago, Suzaku nodded, striding past the former terrorists who were still watching the news program and ascending the stairs. Reaching the room, which would serve as Zero's personal office, Suzaku locked the doors electronically before taking his mask off to get some fresh air. Looking around to see Lelouch do the same thing, Suzaku asked, _"You didn't answer me back there, what do you plan to do? There's no way you missed the fact that Shirley, Milly, and Nina are there, right? Why didn't you answer?"_

Tapping furiously on his laptop and keeping his eyes on the news broadcast, which now showed Shirley's father pleading for the army to help, Lelouch replied, _"That's because I wasn't completely sure of the situation. I've hacked into the army's computers, as but the looks of it, all attempts of a rescue whether by sea or air have failed. Only one bridge is still standing at the moment and by the looks of it, it's probably heavily guarded by Kusakabe's troops. They don't plan on getting out of this alive, Rei!"_

Noticing the usage of his codename in case of eavesdroppers, Suzaku asked, _"What do you mean, Zero? You mean this is a suicide attempt?"_

"_Yes. Kusakabe probably plan on committing shinpuku right before Britannian troops storm in. There's no way he expects to get out of there. And if he doesn't plan on staying alive, there's nothing really that's preventing him from-"_ confirmed Lelouch

Suzaku gasped, putting the pieced together, _"killing the hostages!"_

"_I'm almost certain Cornelia is also aware of this, and knowing her unyielding attitude towards terrorism, the only thing I can't figure out is why she hasn't acted yet. Unless…"_ Lelouch trailed off, his mind figuring out both what Cornelia was hiding and how to introduce the world to his revolutionaries at the same time.

Not seeing the connection, Suzaku demanded. _"Unless?"_

"_The only thing that would effect Cornelia like this is the presence of Euphie. She was always her weak spot…Euphie must be mixed in with the hostages! That's the only plausible reason Cornelia hasn't bombed the entire building by now."_ Lelouch explained.

Recalling the bubbly pink-haired girl, Suzaku asked, _"Zero, what are we going to do?"_

Grinning as he reached for his mask, Lelouch replied, _"Why, Rei, we're going to do what we promised to the public, we're going to defend the weak of course!"_

* * *

Same time

Downstairs, Black Knight's mobile base

Kallen stacked boxes silently while the rest of her friends chattered about Zero and Rei's reactions to the hostage situation. Worrying for her friends, she brooded as Ougi approached her with a box of uniforms stating how they were useless seeing as they were a resistance group. Just as she was about to agree, Zero approached the pair, disagreeing with Ougi's statement. Curious, Kallen asked, _"What do you mean, Zero?"_

Addressing everyone the masked figure replied, _"If you're to join me and Rei, you'll be more than just resistance members. We will seek to be what I proclaimed a few days ago, allies of justice! Being such, I felt it necessary to provide uniforms, something people can identify us with. This will be a big transition for you guys, from mere terrorists like who described on the train, to actual military force, fighting against Britannia head on!"_

* * *

1 hour later

Lake Kawaguchi, Area 11

"…and so, if we don't receive any response to our demands, a hostage will be flying every 30 minutes. I hope for their sake that you'll make a sincere effort to cooperate with us." Lieutenant-General Kusakabe announced, looking please with himself.

Cornelia let out a growl, infuriated at the man's blatant disregard for life as she slammed on the planning table. Unable to do anything since the news of a cannon the JLF had constructed out of a knightmare frame, she paced, her irritation grew every time she made a circuit of the planning center. Stepping out to take a break, she strode off purposefully with Guilford and Darlton at her heels. Walking, she commented "Killing someone to show they're serious, how barbaric."

Nodding, Guilford supplied, "How about we proceed to negotiate the release of all women and children. Once princess Euphemia is release, we-"

"NO!" exclaimed Cornelia, "If we do that, it means that we acknowledge the terrorist's position above us."

Before Guilford could suggest anything else, a messenger appeared around a corner of the corridors. Rushing towards the viceroy, the man stopped and bowed before her, breathing slightly heavily from chasing down the princess. Still, bowing, the man said, "I have an important message for you, your Highness!"

"What is it, soldier?" Cornelia asked, knowing that it would more likely be bad news than not.

The soldier squirmed under her gaze, shifting uncomfortably as he announced, "Z-Zero and Rei are outside!"

"What? Tell me everything!" Cornelia exclaimed, her eyes narrowing at the mention of the two masked figures.

"T-They've somehow managed to steal one of Hi-TV's film cars who were broadcasting the situation and drove it strait towards the army. We wouldn't have known it was them except for the fact that Zero and Rei are standing on top of it in plain view. O-Our knightmares have gotten them surrounded, but we're waiting for your orders. Zero has also demanded for you." The soldier reported.

Her eyes widening at the sudden turn of events, Cornelia commanded, "Guilford, Darlton, get your Gloucesters. Those murderers will feel my rage."

* * *

10 minutes later

Lake Kawaguchi, Area 11

Suzaku tapped his foot nervously as he stood in the full glare of army lights, protected only by his white helmet. Beside him, Lelouch stood confidently, as if he was right at home surrounded by the gigantic knightmare frames. Suddenly, the line of mecha parted and the sight of three purple Gloucesters appeared, trimmed in gold as well as carrying golden spears. Standing above her frame, Cornelia faced the two masked figures with a serious expression, calmly stating, "So we meet, Zero and Rei, murderers of my kin. Tell me, what kind of terrorist are you, underneath the façade of you so-called justice? Are you with the JLF, or do you intend to help them in their futile attempts at rebellion?"

On top of the film car, Zero stood, silent as the wind billowed around him, accenting his thin and surprisingly delicate figure. Her eyes narrowing at the lack of response, Cornelia continued, "No matter. First thing first, and that's the vengeance for my half-brother Clovis! I shall do it here, seeing as you've seemed to present your self to me so foolishly." As she finished, she pulled a long shotgun, capable of piercing the masks of the two figures.

Suzaku gulped, staring at the withdrawn firearm as Zero stepped forward, leaning on the railing as if casually talking to a friend. In a tilting tone, Lelouch asked, "Cornelia, which to you choose? The late prince Clovis who's dead, or princess Euphemia who's still alive?" seeing the princess's show of emotion, Lelouch grinned, confident that his gamble had paid off. "We can save Euphemia for you, princess, if only you let us through."

"I have no idea what you people are talking about." Cornelia flatly commented, adopting a cool glare, to covering up her shock.

Grimacing at Cornelia's cover up, which didn't fool him, let alone Lelouch, Suzaku urged, "We can do it! It is in our power to do this where the army will fail. You will not concede to the commands of the JLF and as such, we're your only chance. Accept the help you are too proud to reach out for. Zero and I are allies of justice and being justice, we promise that the princess will not be harmed by our hands."

Closing her eyes, Cornelia looked away as her eyes filled with indecision, unable to not take the only real chance she would have of seeing her beloved sister ever again. Quietly, she ordered Guildford to make a path for the figures who, to her relief, did not comment on her actions. As the cart passed by her Gloucester, she could have sworn that she heard the mysterious white figure mutter, "Such an innocent girl will not be harmed. I will protect her with my life if that's what it takes…"

* * *

20 minutes later

Kawaguchi Lake Convention Center Hotel

Zero walked along the halls of the hotel, carefully observing his surroundings while Rei followed on his right, looking back and forth between the two JLF soldiers who held their guns tightly, nervous in the presence of the two mysterious figures. Seeing a door with more guards, Zero stopped as the door slid open, revealing the notorious General Katase, who lounged comfortably on a sofa while holding his katana. Seeing the man, Zero nodded his greetings as the General looked up, greeting the two figures _"I'm honored to meet the two heroes who saved Shinji Hirako and revealed the truth behind the Shinjuku Ghetto Massacre. Before we continue, however, I must ask you two to unmask yourselves. To greet comrades with a disguise in impolite, no?"_

Directing his mask strait towards the Japanese man, Zero replied evenly, _"Neither I nor my companion plan on doing so. I apologize if we've offended you, but the masks are necessary."_

Unsurprised, the general smiled slyly as he replied, _"Ah, but if you are to join the JLF in this operation, I'm afraid you must."_

"_Did I ever say we were ever joining the JLF?_" Zero asked.

Katase scowled, demanding, _"What do you mean, Zero. What are you doing here then?"_

"_Before I answer you, I have only one question I'd like to ask. What exactly are you planning to accomplish by taking and killing hostages like this? Surely you don't think that you'll get away with this, do you?"_ Zero asked.

Katase chuckled, grinning as he replied, _"How can it be that the miraculous Zero can't figure out why we're doing this? Why it's to show both those Britannian scum, along with the rest of the world that the Japanese spirit isn't dead, of course! Why else?"_

"_And you would kill those harmless civilians to do so?"_ Rei accused.

"_Ha! All those people have contributed to the repression of the Japanese, knowingly or not. Our entire party have sacrificed their lives for the mission, to show the Britannian Army that their injustices won't be ignored. If we honourable soldiers are willing to die for this, why shouldn't those Britannians suffer the same fate as many of our people who died at Shinjuku?"_ the man said cruelly.

Rei stepped forward, enraged by his callous words, but stopped as Zero lifted his right hand to block his path. After a brief glance at his companion, Zero commented coolly, _"How old fashioned of you. I'm afraid even we can't save you now."_

"_What the hell do you mean, Zero?"_ Katase snarled, standing up in outrage. At the silence that followed, the general growled, lunging towards the two, while unsheathing his katana. _"If you don't have anything else to say, then die!"_

Lowering his arm, Zero allowed Rei to jerk forwards, meeting the general in the middle of the room and throwing the general on the ground. Pressing the button that revealed his left eye, the black king ordered, _**"You will surrender willingly to the Britannian Army, buying time for everyone else to escape. Before doing so, you will put yourself under my command and do as I ask."**_ Facing the shocked soldiers in the room, he continued, _**"You will forget what has occurred and do as your general commands. If anyone asks, just say that I won your general over with cool and irrefutable logic."**_

* * *

2 hours ago

Black Knight's Headquarters, Shinjuku Ghetto

Suzaku watched as the rest of their new ragtag group left the planning room, everyone anxious about the risky plan that Lelouch had developed. Behind his mask, he watch some of the group, Tamaki and Inoue especially, clenched their fists, clearly not believing that the operation would actually succeed despite Lelouch's insistence. Not that it wasn't unexpected though, both he and Lelouch could understand that their refusal to part with their masks would sow distrust, but seeing their reaction to saving the Britannians, it would be sheer folly to let them see Lelouch's true face. Sighing, he looked back at Lelouch, who now sat slouched since no one besides Suzaku was present. Sliding the door shut, Suzaku quietly asked, _"Zero, what are you actually planning to do with Katase. We both know what you're going to use to "persuade" him"_

Stiffening at Suzaku's question, Lelouch admitted, _"I'm planning on ordering him to commit suicide.-"_

"_WHAT?"_ Suzaku exclaimed, forgetting where they were._ "What are you thinking, Lelouch?"_

"_REI! Remember where we are at the moment"_ Lelouch snapped coolly, _"Why are you making a big fuss over this anyways? I thought I had made it clear that that was what he was planning to do from the start! What's the point of stopping something someone from doing what he want to do in the first place? Granted, his death will be under my terms, but that's not the point! Why are you acting so shocked?"_

Bristling slightly at Lelouch's tone, Suzaku protested, _"B-But…what about the rest of his soldier? I'm sure not all of them wanted to be on this mission. They probably don't know that they're going to die for a lunatic's plans! You can't honestly tell me that they're going to get through this unharmed, can you?"_

"_No, I can't"_ Lelouch sighed, _"and I don't want to do this, but sacrifices have to be made for the greater good."_

Desperate, Suzaku asked, _"Is there really no other way around this? Can't only Katase take the blame for this since he's the only one at fault here? I thought geass was supposed to let us be able to reduce casualties? Are you sure that leaving everyone to die is the only thing we can do?"_

Frowning at Suzaku's naivety, Lelouch said, _"Geass is powerful, but not that powerful. Besides, even if we get Katase to surrender and give leadership to us, it's not like everyone would follow his orders. You know as well as I do that most people don't really trust me as it is."_

Unwilling to give up, Suzaku pleaded, _"Can't you at least try? Lets save as many people as possible."_

Sighing at his friend's plea, Lelouch replied, _"Fine, but don't be surprised when it doesn't work."_

END OF FLASHBACK

* * *

Seeing everyone except him stiffen and relax again, Rei let go of General Katase and watched the man return to his seat while sending orders to his men to obey the newly formed Black Knights. Swallowing his discomfort at the unnatural act, he tensed as the door slid open as two soldiers entered, between them, an all to familiar pink-haired girl stood, looking regal and proud despite the condition that she was in. Seeing the girl unharmed, he relaxed, breathing out a sigh of relief that was blocked by his mask.

Stepping ahead of his companion, Zero looked at his sister and commented, "Euphemia li Britannia is it? I had predicted that you were here, but I did not think you would be discovered. Did you decide to give yourself up in order to save some commoners? You have not changed…"

Lifting her head at the sight of her brother's murderers, Euphie replied calmly, "I am the vice-viceroy of Area 11 and as such, it is my duty to protect my subjects. It isn't a position I'm proud of, since it was due to my brother's death that I gained this responsibility."

"Your brother, who we killed…" Rei said sombrely.

Noticing the masked man's tone, Euphie nodded, quietly asking, "Why did you guys kill him? I know you claim to serve justice and perhaps you really see it that way, but why didn't you guys just reveal what he did to the world? There's a reason we have a judicial system after all. One man's justice is another man's sin."

Suzaku clenched his fist, reminded of his old beliefs and unable to speak. Noticing his partner's hesitance, Zero replied, "And do you, as a princess of Britannian Empire, claim to know justice in its truest form? The kind of justice Britannia embraces is one of cold Darwinism. The strong survive and the weak die, unable to expose the oppression and the injustice. Your judicial system is one where the truth is obscured and propaganda is released. Do you honestly believe that Clovis would have been brought to justice under Britannian rule? As a prince, he could kill in public and others would sing praises for his actions. Your naïve beliefs are untainted by foulness of politics, yet that same naivety causes more problems for those who acknowledge the problem for what it truly is and act accordingly. Clovis deserved death for his actions, and I only acted to deal the punishment politics denied."

Euphemia looked away, unable to deny the man's accusations. Looking down, she asked, "Then are you going to kill me too, for standing in your way? Or are you going to capture me and use me as hostage against my sister? Is that an act of justice?"

Stiffening at the girl's accusations, Rei replied, "We are going to do neither of those things, princess. We killed Clovis because of his actions, but we refuse to hurt those who are innocent of any true crime. At this point, our comrades are securing the hostages and evacuating them and rest assured that they'll be freed and you along with them."

Surprised, Euphie nodded, letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Looking around at the JLF soldiers, she asked, "I will trust you since you have no reason to lie to me in my position. What is it that you want me to do?"

Retaking control of the situation, Zero said, "You'll come with us while General Katase negotiates with your sister. We promise on our honour that you will be treated civilly while you're among us and hope that you won't resist and force us to resort to violence."

Before Euphie could reply though, the door slid open once more to reveal a busty redhead who stopped at the sight of the Britannian princess. Recovering from her shock, Kallen saluted the her superiors and reported, "Zero, Rei, all the hostages have been taken care of as well as the all the JLF soldiers who decided to follow our orders. There are some who fought against us and we have been told by a reliable source that those soldiers are going to detonate bombs they've already set up."

Unsurprised by the turn of events, Zero said, "Very well, I suppose this should have been expected. General, feel free to do as you originally planned and let your soldiers chose their own fate. Princess Euphemia, Rei, and I shall leave with you, Q-1"

Clenching his fist at the events that had unfolded, Suzaku swallowed the bile that had accumulated in his mouth at the order Lelouch gave. It wasn't as if he hadn't been warned of this, but he still hoped that there was another way. Despite his despair at the way things had unfolded, Rei followed Q-1 out of the room before Katase could act, hearing the door slide closed, obscuring any noises from the former general's room. Remembering his manners, he let Euphie walk head of him, saying "This way, princess."

As the four made their way to the life rafts that now held the hostages, Zero and Kallen stood on the side as the civilians cried out in relief that their princess had not been harmed. Helping her onto the boat, Rei said, "Princess, while you're the child of the person we strive to defeat, your beliefs aren't your fathers. We know that you honestly hope for the happiness for everyone, may they be Britannian or Japanese and we support this dream. Please watch the actions of Zero and I to see if it is truly as criminal as others claim. Open your eyes wide to realize your own truth before you decide if you stand with or against us."

Her eyes widening at Rei's speech, Euphie nodded at the reasonable request while pondering 'the murderer of my brother, yet they seem so gentle, not as the media would lead you to believe. I had been afraid they were nothing but cold-blooded murderers, but is the truth really better? Can I truly fight against the people who saved me and the rest of the Britannians because they believe terrorism is the wrong way to fight against Britannia?'

At the princess's acquiescence, Rei stepped away from the raft, which was send adrift towards the army. Turning around, he followed hurriedly after the rest of the Black Knights, who boarded the luxury yacht the hotel stored. Looking back, he instinctively shielded his face from the explosion the rest of the JLF triggered. At the cries of disbelief that were emitted from the hostages, he was glad for the first time that Lelouch had received the geass that allowed him to save those innocent people. At Zero's insistence, he snapped out of his realization to watch the rest of the newly formed Black Knights waiting for him in front of the camera stolen from the TV station.

Reaching Zero's side, and at the sign of the crew behind the camera, Rei stood nervously as Zero proclaimed, "To all Britannians, there's no need to panic. As I promised in my video, I stand here to serve justice, and in this case, justice was to save the hostages in the hotel that the JLF wrongly held. They will be returned safely."

At those words, light cascades onto the figures of the main leaders of the Black Knights, silhouetting the bowing figures while hiding their appearances. Taking it as a signal, Rei continued, "People of the world, fear us or seek us, it is up to you to decide. We…ARE THE ORDER OF THE BLACK KNIGHTS! We Black Knights are allies of those oppressed and weak, unable to reveal the injustices that they've suffered. No matter of their origins, be they Japanese or Britannian! The Japanese Liberation Front used underhanded methods, using innocent civilians as hostages and killed them in cold blood! This is, however, the plan of one man, General Katase and others followed his lead thoughtlessly. This is the fault of one man, who wanted to deaths of others, just as Shinjuku was the fault of one man, and one man only, Clovis la Britannia! These two men were leaders, people who directed others to commit crimes for them without taking the blame. It is not the soldiers we fight, but the philosophies the soldiers fight for!"

"Katase's actions were meaningless ones that threatened the lives of the innocent, and thus, we've shown ourselves to punish them. I do not enjoy spilling blood like this, but if blood has to be spilt, let it be of the ones who crave bloodshed. The act of the strong crushing the weak is something I cannot standby and watch. ONLY THE ONES WHO ARE PREPARED TO BE KILLED, SHOULD KILL! When the strong abuse the weak, we will appear! No matter how great the enemy, may it be Britannia itself, we will show them the true face of justice. Those who misuse their power, FEAR US! Those who are powerless to abuse, SEEK US! The world will be judged by us, THE BLACK KNIGHTS!" finished Zero.

* * *

A/N: And thus, the Saitama Ghetto incident is avoided and the hotel hostage situation is taken care off. I apologize for both this chapter's lateness and it's shortness, but my inspiration found the worst time to take off. I was struggling especially with how Suzaku would react to the hotel taking and Zero ordering the JLF to die and wrote multiple ways of how things could have went down, but in the end, I decided on what you see now. If anyone thinks something should be changed, please don't hesitate to tell me.

Other than that, I hoped you enjoyed the changed bits of conversation, most notably what Suzaku said to Euphie and what he said to the world. I predict that they'll affect the course of this story, but as of now, I can't be sure.

If anyone was curious why Cornelia didn't act or why Lancelot didn't appear, my reasoning is that Lloyd hasn't finished fixing it yet (I mean, I don't think it's been more than a week since Shinjuku yet…). Since its deployment wasn't possible, there wasn't any real option for Cornelia to take except wait. Not like her, yes, understandable though, it's up to you guys to decide. As always, I look forward to any comments or criticisms made by my beloved readers! ^_^


	12. Step 12: Restore

A/N: Hey guys (:D) *Ducks while things are thrown at my person* I'm sorry to disappear like that on you guys. Looking back to my last chapter which was in March *Winces*, I just realized how long I haven't updated. I guess it just slipped out of my mind after the initial months where I was so busy I just couldn't update and then summer vacation where I was away. No excuses though, because I honestly should have been done this chapter ages ago. On the other hand, I've decided to put myself on a scheduled plan, where I update once very month (probably in the first week or so) starting with this chapter. I think I have enough of the story planned out that I can hold that plan for a year at least, but you never know… That means you're basically guaranteed a chapter a month and maybe if my schedule permits, I'll get an extra chapter in there somewhere. Anyways, on with the story,

To everyone who reviewed to the last chapter or commented after the last chapter, I'm sorry I can't give you the credit you deserve since I actually have no idea where those reviews start and where the reviews before that ended. I also have no idea who I've responded to and who I haven't since I usually make a habit to respond to everybody but stopped somewhere along the way. To those people who haven't gotten a response, I deeply apologize. *Bows*

* * *

Last time:

_At those words, light cascades onto the figures of the main leaders of the Black Knights, silhouetting the bowing figures while hiding their appearances. Taking it as a signal, Rei continued, "People of the world, fear us or seek us, it is up to you to decide. We…ARE THE ORDER OF THE BLACK KNIGHTS! We Black Knights are allies of those oppressed and weak, unable to reveal the injustices that they've suffered. No matter of their origins, be they Japanese or Britannian! The Japanese Liberation Front used underhanded methods, using innocent civilians as hostages and killed them in cold blood! This is, however, the plan of one man, General Katase and others followed his lead thoughtlessly. This is the fault of one man, who wanted the deaths of others, just as Shinjuku was the fault of one man, and one man only, Clovis la Britannia! These two men were leaders, people who directed others to commit crimes for them without taking the blame. It is not the soldiers we fight, but the philosophies the soldiers fight for!"_

"_Katase's actions were meaningless ones that threatened the lives of the innocent, and thus, we've shown ourselves to punish them. I do not enjoy spilling blood like this, but if blood has to be spilt, let it be of the ones who crave bloodshed. The act of the strong crushing the weak is something I cannot standby and watch. ONLY THE ONES WHO ARE PREPARED TO BE KILLED, SHOULD KILL! When the strong abuse the weak, we will appear! No matter how great the enemy, may it be Britannia itself, we will show them the true face of justice. Those who misuse their power, FEAR US! Those who are powerless to abuse, SEEK US! The world will be judged by us, THE BLACK KNIGHTS!" finished Zero._

* * *

Step 12: Restore

2017 a.t.b.

Suzaku's Room

Ashford Academy, Area 11

Suzaku rose to the sounds of a blaring alarm clock. Training in the army built up certain reflexes, and reacting at the sound of an alarm was definitely one of them. Before he really knew what was going on, Suzaku had already jumped out of bed, searching for the uniform that he no longer had. A few seconds later, the realization that he was no longer in an army base kicked in and Suzaku started to rub away the blurriness in his eyes. As he did this, his memory cleared as well until he was far too aware of what he and Lelouch had done last night.

Suzaku swallowed as he recalled the hotel and the number of people who had died due to their interference, guilty or not. He knew perfectly well that the almost everyone who died in that building last night deserved to die. _'As if you're the one to judge them, you've sinned more than all of them combined' _a snide voice in his head whispered. He ignored the voice, like he always did, even though he knew perfectly well it was right. He knew that the people who died deserved it, and that more lives, innocent lives, was saved because of them, but the guilt just wouldn't leave and he couldn't help but wonder if Lelouch felt the same way.

He sighed, even if Lelouch did, and if he knew his childhood friend as much as he thinks, he does, Suzaku knew there would be no way for him to know. Lelouch would hide it, putting up a mask and burying his true feelings and pretend that nothing was wrong. Lelouch would defend his case, trying to convince himself those lives were worth it, but the boy he knew would never to truly let it go. In that instance, Lelouch and Suzaku were more alike than most would assume based on their behaviour.

Reaching for his Ashford uniform, Suzaku decided to put the thought aside and carry on with his day.

* * *

After school,

Ashford Academy Clubhouse

Suzaku blinked as the door slid open and Milly, Shirley and Rivalz jumped him, and the all collapsed in a heap on the floor. Winded, Suzaku managed to wheeze out "Umm guys, would you mind getting off of me?"

Laughing or blushing, depending on which person it was, they got off of him and Rivalz offered him a hand while explaining "Sorry Suzaku, thought you were Lelouch.'

Blinking Suzaku could only ask "Lelouch? You guys were planning on tackling Lelouch? What for?" As he asked this though, his eyes landed on the rack of costumes at the back of the room and the weirdly coloured cat costumed the trio was already wearing.

Milly smirked, the kind of smirk that sends shivers through her victims, as she explained "We're holding a party for a Arthur, that cute cat you brought back, and to make him feel at home, we're going to hold a cat-themed costume party! And you, Suzaku, are going to help us by first dressing up in this" At this point, Milly held up the blue costume she grabbed, "and by capturing Lelouch so we can dress him up!" she finished.

Suzaku nodded obediently, not really finding any way out of it, and also, though he would never really admit it to anyone else, enjoying the fact that he was able to share these types of experiences with people who actually like him. He'd thrown away the aspirations of a normal life when he joined the army, and being able to do this was something he treasured. Throwing himself into the festive mood, he grinned a very feline grin, Lelouch would never know what hit him.

An hour later he was laughing from the betrayed look Lelouch shot him, while the boy ranted about 'the lost of trust between them' and 'how could he do this to a friend' while tied up in a chair and wearing cat ears. Before he knew it, Kallen had walked in and suddenly the conversation turned to the hotel hijacking. Realizing how close he had been to losing the people he'd just befriended, he couldn't help but tear up slightly, and feel, for perhaps for the first time in a long time, that what he was doing was good and that he was finally able to protect the things most precious to him unlike how he failed to protect his country all those years ago.

Still tied to the chair, Lelouch noticed the behaviour of his best friend and shot him a look of understanding and smiled. Geass was a not a power to be trifled with, he knew. It was a terrible power, to control other people's wills, but seeing what he was able to protect with that power already and the lives and happiness that geass would be able to save was worth the price of wielding such a power. Of course, then Rivalz had to spoil the moment by pointing out Suzaku's tears, but he was fine with that. The student council was where he belonged, weird quirks and all.

* * *

Two weeks later,

Tokyo Settlement, Area 11

Kallen sighed as she took a short trip through the settlement to cool her head after her encounter with Milly. It surprised her that she was so insightful about her situation and yet didn't judge her for being half Japanese. She had been so sure that Britannians would judge her for it, just as some of her comrades once had for being half-Britannian. She supposed that she would just have to admit that she was worrying about the student council and Britannia overall. Maybe it wasn't all bad, like she'd thought. _'Maybe this just means that I'm doing as a Black Knight is really helping. That we just need to take down the army and government that promotes the arrogance and the people will eventually realize their mistakes. We can't force them to change, but who says most of them aren't willing to change.' _

As she was thinking of this though, a shout rang out. Turning her head, she watched angrily as a gang of Britannians beat up a helpless Honorary Britannian dressed as a hot dog vendor. Her anger turned into frustration and rage as the people around her looked the other way and ignored what was happening. Clenching her fist, she was just about to take a step forwards before a hand grabbing her shoulder stopped her. Whirling around direct her rage at whoever was trying to stop her, her mouth made an 'o' shape as she took in Lelouch in his Ashford uniform. Shocked, and somewhat relieved that she hadn't broken her cover as a weak and sick girl, she gasped "Lelouch"

Lelouch shook his head, disapproving her actions. "Kallen, you can't possibly take all five of them"

"And so we should just leave him alone?" Kallen demanded.

"Kallen, look at him. He's not even fighting back. If you help him out, the Britannians will only report him to the police or worse, to his employers and next thing you know, he's out of a job and arrested. He chose this life knowing that this would happen sometimes and that he'd have to bow down to the ones who took his life from him. Do you really think you interfering is what he would really want?" Lelouch asked, his questions piercing through to Kallen's logic which had taken the back seat in her anger.

Kallen looked down, having no answers she would admit to and muttered "Even so…"

Little did they know that their conversation was somehow in the hearing range of the Britannians and they headed towards the pair of students. Looking up, she saw one of the men, the leader, she supposed, leer at her and demanding whether or not she felt 'sorry for the dirty eleven and wanted to be his friend'. She was going to reply with a kick where it hurts too, cover be damned, when Lelouch stepped forwards and coolly replied. "Nahhh, we're more sorry for the fact that you Britannians who are supposed to be the respectable, are picking on those lower than yourselves instead of doing something useful with your life."

The men reacted as predicted, puffing up and crowing around them, jeering while Lelouch stood unintimidated and glared, and as he spoke, his voice was able to freeze ice "Why don't you guys just take off. And never bother Honorary Britannians again?"

This obviously didn't help, as the leader grabbed Lelouch's collar and spat out "Or what, you're going to beat us up with your spindly little arms? Quit trying to act tough in front of your girlfriend, or we'll leach you a lesson about respecting your elders, brat."

Lelouch's eyes narrowed and his voice belayed a tone that meant business. "No, I am NOT going to beat you up with my spindly little arms, I'll simply let everyone else here know that your family is in dept because of your father's little chess gambling issue. Let him know that the Black King said hello why don't you? Do you have any idea how many people in this settlement owes me a favour or two for not letting others know about their humiliating losses? Now let me go, before I arrange for you to be booted out of this settlement."

The man paled visibly but stammered "Who do you think you are? Why should I believe a single word you're saying?"

Lelouch smirked "I'm the Black King of course, and as for why, well, you're just going to have to trust me on that, George Princeton, or would you like to test my claims?"

The man lowered Lelouch back onto the ground as soon as his name was said out loud. Grumbling, but not really willing to risk it, he spat on the ground and called his men off, distracting them by saying something about hitting an arcade. His eyes narrowed as he watched the other teen straighten out his collar and he hissed "You'll regret this, you damn brat. Just wait until the next time you're all alone and unprotected…"

Finished fixing up his shirt, Lelouch ignored the man and looked for Kallen, who was now trying to help the hotdog vendor out, only for the man to shrug off his injuries as soon as he saw her uniform and faux cheerily offer them hotdogs and ice cream. Getting both of them ice cream and slipping the vendor way more money than the treats were worth, Lelouch headed back to the bench where Kallen was now sitting at. As she watched the vendor once again bow and try to get customers as if nothing had ever happened, Lelouch offered her the ice cream.

"So, how did you get him to stop?" She asked. Kallen had only been able to see Lelouch lean towards the leader and speak a few sentences before the man backed off. The whole exchange was suspicious, and she wondered what her fellow student council member had to hide. After all, she already knew that Lelouch was fluent in Japanese, so who was he really? An arrogant Britannian student? Am Eleven sympathizer? Or something else entirely?

Lelouch shrugged, unwilling to part with his gambling secrets at the moment and said secretly "Let's just say that I have leverage against some of the richer folk around here"

Kallen's interest peaked, that kind of leverage would be useful for the Black Knights, and if she could get Lelouch on board, maybe Zero would be impressed by her fellow classmate. Suzaku was also a good idea, seeing as he is the son of the last prime minister and head of the Kururugi clan…

Looking downwards, she recalled their last encounter and how it had ended with him getting slapped. Still embarrassed about the incident, she asked "Hey Lelouch, why did you protect that guy from before anyways? I thought you said that Elevens should just bow down to Britannians. What changed?"

Looking up at the sky Lelouch said "I never said they SHOULD, I just said it would be the best option for them at the moment. Kallen, just because it's the best for them at the moment doesn't mean it's right, doesn't mean that we shouldn't do anything about it. It's just that there is no way for us to act and help them in a long term way. There's nothing I can do that would be long term. The man I rescued today is just as likely to be attacked tomorrow and there's nothing I can do about it. In the long term, what I did today will have no effect. I'm simply unable to make a difference."

Kallen followed his gaze into the sky and sighed. "But what if I told you that you could make a difference? Would you put your infamous intellect into good use?"

Lelouch looked at her shocked, 'Is she really going to do what I think she's going to do?' and even as he asked how, he mused 'I can't believe this is actually happening. I wonder what Suzaku would say if I told him about this…'

Kallen judged the boy in front of her and stated "Well, it's not official yet and I have to discuss this with my benefactor, but I'm in an association that really makes a difference and if I get approval, I'll let you know."

Lelouch snickered, already aware of what he was going to say to Kallen later on today after the Refrain mission. On the surface though, he politely bid Kallen goodbye to make his way back to Ashford to fetch his Zero uniform for the mission.

* * *

That night,

Britannian Bar,

Tokyo Settlement, Area 11

Three soldiers sat together at the bartender's table, all crouched over their various alcoholic drinks, the very picture of soldiers off duty, drowning their sorrows. Jeremiah hadn't had a good day since what everyone now dubbed "the orange incident" and even with Euphemia speaking out against court marshalling him, most soldiers, especially those in the purist faction, had been very vocal about how they felt about 'Orange'. Jeremiah sighed and knocked back another glass of scotch as Villeta and Kewell watched. Hesitantly, Villeta started "Jeremiah, about the Orange Incident…Did you really remember nothing?"

Jeremiah looked down into his now empty glass as he muttered resentfully "Yes, Villeta, like I've told about a million other people already, I don't remember anything after allowing the soldiers to let Zero and Rei confront me. I know you don't believe me and I don't even really blame you for not trusting me. It's unbelievable, I'm well aware-"

"No! See that's the thing!" Villetta exclaimed, before lower her voice "Me and Kewell experience it too, at the Shinjuku Ghetto."

As Jeremiah's astounded eyes landed on him, Kewell nodded, "I remember Villetta asking me to join her somewhere and all of the sudden, my memory goes blank and me and Villetta are sitting there alone in a warehouse in the ghetto, our knightmares stolen."

Villetta's expression darkened at the retelling and she refuted "I on the other hand, don't remember ever even talking to Kewell after the deployment started. The only thing I remember was seeing this Britannian boy with this Honorary Britannian soldier requesting my help. The boy told me his name was Alan Spencer, but I check up our records and there isn't anyone by that name anywhere near Area 11."

Jeremiah looked at her curiously and asked "So you guys think that that boy is the cause of this memory blank? That he's Zero?"

Kewell snorted, "Well, I wouldn't go that far but if that boy has the same powers as Zero then odds are they know each other, of at least where they both got the powers from. And that would not only would that clear our names, we'd probably be rewarded beyond measure. I mean, think of all the implications there could be!"

Jeremiah perked up at the mention of being able to redeem himself and asked "Then Villetta, what are you waiting for, tell us what the boy looked like!"

Villetta looked down and stated "But I don't remember his face, that's the thing. All I remember is that he was wearing a school uniform, black with golden trimmings. It had a symbol of some sort around the collar, looked somewhat like a flower…It's not exactly a smoking gun, but it's at least a place to start."

Jeremiah hesitated 'No way…' "Wait, hang on, do either of you guys have a pen?"

Curious, Kewell handed over the pen he kept in his pockets as Jeremiah took a napkin and started to draw a symbol on it. It looked somewhat like a flower, but Kewell didn't recognize its importance until Villetta looked over and gasped "That's it! That was the symbol the boy's uniform!"

Shocked, Kewell demanded "How did you know which symbol Villetta was talking about?"

"It's the symbol of the Ashford Family, one of the old supporters of Marianne the Flash, who I served before going into the purist faction. They suffered when she died and ended up moving to Area 11 and creating a school here. If the uniform had the Ashford symbol on it, then it must have been from Ashford Academy." Jeremiah explained as Villetta and Kewell looked on excitedly. They had just narrowed their search significantly and soon, the identity of the boy will be clear.

* * *

The same time,

Saitama Ghetto, Area 11

Zero stood by as Rei took out the last sentry with his renowned spin kick. Signalling the Black Knights that the coast was clear and telling his partner to enter one of the other knightmares that they still had from the Shinjuku Incident, Zero walked to where the other knights were before they blew the door apart. The hail of bullets that responded to their entrance was mostly blocked by the two knightmares wielded by their respective aces while the rest of the Black Knights were protected by their bullet-proof uniforms. As they returned fire, aiming for non-fatal wounds as per Rei's insistence, some of the dealers fell as others tried to run for it only to be caught by the knightmares.

As Kallen tore through another metal opening, she gasped as the figures of multiple addicts, muttering in Japanese as they relived their dreams, appeared. She was further shocked when the figure of a frail looking person crashed into her knightmare frame, mutter something about 'Kallen and Naoto being nice to each other'. Her tears fell as Kallen realized that her mother had decided to suffer through the pain and humiliation of being a servant in order to be able to see her kids. A sudden rush of bullets, however, ruined the moment. As soon as she turned her monitor though, she saw the Knight police being taken down by Rei.

After making sure that Knight had been captured, she disembarked her knightmare and pulled her mother into a tight hug, the emotions she'd suppressed for years unleashed as Zero and Rei ordered the other Black Knights to capture and knock out all the dealers as well as setting a fire to burn all the Refrain they had found. Kallen held on to her mother with all her strength until a hand grabbing her shoulder caused her to look back and wipe away her tears.

Slightly embarrassed at her show of emotion, she bowed in apology to Zero and Rei for not having noticed the Knight Police as well as not helping out in disposing the other dealers. Rei only shook his head at her apology though, stating that he understood what she just went through and that she could take a few days off to be with her mother. As if realizing the situation she was in, she nodded and asked _"Zero-sama, what's going to happen to all these people? We aren't just going to leave them here for the police to find them again right? They'd be sent to prison in seconds!"_

"_Don't worry Kouzuki, we contacted the doctors hiding out in the ghetto and we'll be able to bring to the facilities right now. Your mother will stay with them until she'd gotten over her dependency and after that, I assume you'll be able to arrange something for her?"_ Zero replied.

Nodding gratefully, she started helping the other out with transferring all the other refrain affect people into a truck that dropped them off at the unofficial medical office. Kallen gave her mother one last hug before watching the truck leave and promising herself that as soon as her mother woke back up from her refrain-induced illusions, she'd finally confront her mother and settle their differences.

From a distance, Zero and Rei observed the two and prepared to pull out from the ghetto, glad that their mission was a success.

* * *

A few days later

Unofficial Hospital, Saitama Ghetto

Lelouch and Suzaku walked into the halls of the hospital, Lelouch carrying a bunch of flowers and a box of cookies, made by Sayoko at his request. Suzaku on the other hand, had his hands full with both his and Lelouch's helmets. As they neared the door though, Lelouch's footsteps noticeably slowed as he showed slight signs of nervousness, a slight shuffling in his steps and fidgeting with the wrapping paper of the bouquet. Noticing his friend's hesitance, Suzaku sighed as said _"Lelouch, you know what we discussed last week and seriously, you've put it off long enough already."_

* * *

A week ago,

School Council Clubhouse, Area 11

Suzaku and Lelouch were upstairs, planning out the next raid to pull out the man who was responsible for the Britannian gang who terrorized the Saitama Ghetto when Suzaku took a breath and was about to say something but then hesitated, and got back to work. Lelouch, having seen this behaviour from his best friend for the last couple of days sighed and finally broke the silence "Suzaku, what were you about to say? And don't pretend not to know what I'm talking about either, because I've see you dance around the subject for the last few days and it's trying me slightly nuts. What is so hard to say to the person you're planning a revolution with?"

Sighing, Suzaku exclaimed "So you did notice…I was wondering if you would. I mean, usually, you're perceptive about these sorts of things, but then again, with Shirley…" He trailed off as he saw the confusion in Lelouch's eyes _'I swear, he's a genius at everything else, but he'd absolutely clueless about other people's feelings about him. How is it that he can see the rest of the school is after him, but fail to see how Shirley feels?'_ "Never mind that, but Lelouch, don't you think it's about time that you let the Black Knights know who you really are?"

Lelouch frowned, wondering "Why bother? I mean, they don't seem to be getting particularly fussy about it lately and it seems they've accepted that I won't just randomly show them my face. Besides, letting them know that their leader is a Britannian would only slow recruitment when it's just starting to go on the rise if it gets out. Also, with all the new recruits coming in, you never know if the military will get a mole in and if they do, the results will be catastrophic! This is Nunnally's safety we're talking about here!"

Suzaku nodded to all of that, completely understanding where Lelouch was coming from. He'd spent a few days ahead of time thinking up all the reasons why Lelouch would refuse after all. He learned quick ages ago that one did not go into an argument with Lelouch unprepared and expect to win unless you were Nunnally. Right now, Lelouch had come up with all the things he had thought up, besides that little blurb about recruitment. This was where he would propose his idea, "I get that, Lelouch, and I agree with you. I wouldn't do anything to intentionally hurt Nunnally, you know that! I'm not talking about you just telling the all Black Knights who you, I'm talking about talking to Kallen, at least, and probably Ougi too. Maybe the rest of the core members too, if you want to, but I would understand if you didn't feel like telling the others"

Lelouch straitened into a comfortable position and settled into a thinking pose as he considered Suzaku's proposition. "I see where you're going, but the fact still remains that there's no absolute need for me to reveal myself to them and I'm not about to compromise Nunnally's safety if I don't absolutely have to…"

Suzaku sighed and replied "Let's say it's not absolutely necessary at this moment, but think about it. Eventually, they're going to get suspicious and at that point, it'll be more of a disadvantage because they won't be as easily persuaded that you're trustworthy even if you do show your face to just some of them like they would now. It's best to nip distrust at the bud! Besides, let's just say by some accident, or some plan your brother or your father that you've always warned me about cooked up, your identity is revealed to the Black Knights by our enemies instead of at your choosing, do you know what kind of havoc it would wreak? Especially if it was during some delicate mission? It would be best if you told at least one person other than me so that we can back you up if the rest of them accidentally find out!"

Lelouch frowned, since when was Suzaku able to use logic against him? And he thought Suzaku would just go on about the lack of trust not being good for him or the group and that keeping things bottled up wasn't good for him. He laughed at the realization that his best friend had actually managed to outtalk him. Beside him, Suzaku frowned, confused to why Lelouch had started snickering, only to smack him when Lelouch finally explained "I'm just amused because I think this is the first time you've managed to corner me with logic. Maybe you're not hopeless after all!"

"So you'll tell them?" He asked eagerly.

Lelouch nodded, "Well, I'll tell Kallen at least. She'll probably insist I tell Ougi, and if she does, I'll tell him too. Just don't expect me to tell Tamaki, that guy's mouth and idiocy will be the death of me, I swear."

Suzaku grinned, happy that he had actually managed to get Lelouch to reveal himself to others. He had thought it out to persuade Lelouch, but his motivations did have a more personal twist after all. _'Keeping everyone out isn't good for you, Lelouch, especially since Nunnally is the one you usually confide in and she has no idea that you're doing this. I can help most of the time, but letting some of the others win your trust is good. You can't just keep everything bottled up you know…'_

END OF FLASHBACK

* * *

Lelouch stopped fidgeting as he recalled their conversation, but he still couldn't help the nervousness, he was trying to trust someone with a secret that could get everyone he cared about killed after all. _"I know, Suzaku, but it's not just our lives on the line here, you know that" _

Suzaku sighed,_ "Yeah I know, but it's not like Kallen-san doesn't have anything to lose, joining the resistance you know. If she's risking her life for your ideals, she deserves to know who you really are. Besides, you told me she was going to invite you to the Black Knights anyways, so it's just a little different than what she imagined"_

Lelouch snorted,_ "Yeah, but knowing her, I'll probably end up getting slapped or something because I didn't tell her or I led her on or something"_

Suzaku laughed,_ "Just get it over with, you masochist" _and before Lelouch could properly protest, he shoved the boy into the room.

Kallen looked up as Lelouch and Suzaku appeared through the doorway and almost yelled in shock. She had expected some other Black Knight, most likely Ougi, to check up on her, but the two boys in their Ashford uniforms were not at all expected. Startled, she hissed "Lelouch? Suzaku? What on Earth are you guys doing here?" while she reached for her knife.

Holding his arms up, he waved the flowers and cookies like a peace offering and said "Just visiting a fellow comrade, Kallen"

Frowning suspiciously, she asked "What do you mean, Lelouch? What are you and Suzaku doing here? Does the rest of the council know? How did you know to come here?"

Grinning, he replied, "Well, you know…_I am the one who arranged this, my dear Q-1. Zero takes care of his subordinates after all…_"

Her jaw dropping, her eyes narrowed as she demanded _"What are you talking about Lelouch. You're Zero? Yeah right, prove it."_

At that point Suzaku stepped in to stop the sparks that flew between the two teens from turning into a physical confrontation where Lelouch would get himself hit because of his secrecy. _"Kallen-san, I believe this would work as proof"_ holding up both masks.

Kallen whipped around to stare at the helmets in Suzaku's arms and her eyes widened and her jaw hit the floor. "_WHAT! YOU'RE ZERO? And Suzaku's….SUZAKU'S REI?"_

Lelouch and Suzaku grinned and chorused _"Yours truly."_

* * *

A/N: Annnnd, that's the end of the chapter :3 I'm evil, I know, but at least I put in the flashback. I was debating on whether or not to just cut it off at Lelouch and Suzaku meeting Kallen, so at least you know this much. So what did you guys think?

Questions:

Do you think I portrayed Suzaku well?

(I made him more thoughtful than he is in Code Geass I think, because while he's the "brawn" to Lelouch's "brains" it doesn't mean he's stupid. He's a good person who cares for his friends a lot, and that what I like about him so maybe I made him a bit OOC)

Do you think Lelouch would really agree to revealing himself to Kallen and Ougi like he does?

(The problem I faced with this chapter was not being really sure how to convince Lelouch to tell others. In CG, he never did by choice, but I think he should have. Other stories have him mostly either reveal his identity to Kallen either right away or never until he's forced, and I really don't think Lelouch is the type to blindly trust Kallen simply because she's someone he actually has the time to talk with outside of Black Knight activities)

And last of all, what do you guys think of Jeremiah, Villetta and Kewell being on Lelouch's tracks? (Mostly Kewell, because in CG, he was a jerk)

As always, thanks for reading and let me know what you guys think! Again, my apologies about this being late.

ONE OTHER THING! I'M CURRENTLY LOOKING FOR A BETA TO DO SOME PLOT/GRAMMER CHECKING SO IF ANYONE IS INTRESTED, LET ME KNOW THROUGH PM-ING!


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